Journal of Nem Orian
by Nemorian
Summary: Two factions at each others throats, Forlorn and ASP. Conflicts spark between them all across Morrowind, and battle scars remain even on those not directly involved. The journal of an unlucky scholar is the only known record of these two warring guilds.
1. Siege on Sadrith Mora

**Prologue: Forlorn**

My name is Nem Orian, I first arrived on Vvardenfell nearly one year ago. Back then I had no idea what to expect of this place, except what I had read about it. The massive Red Mountain, the Dwemer, the grand city of Vivec, the books made it sound a lot nicer than it actually is. The Red Mountain is cursed with endless blight storms, the Dwemer have disappeared for no known reason, and the "grand" city of Vivec was, well, depressing. But it isn't all bad, there are plenty of cities, guilds and places to explore.

A few days ago I went to a city called Suran, there was a place called "The House of Earthly Delights" I assumed it was a place to buy herbal tea and the like, I was wrong, it was just a bar, a bar with strippers. In that... place, I met the master of a guild called Forlorn. He invited me to join his guild, I accepted without giving it much thought. Inquiring about the guilds background I learned it was mainly established to help the Guildmaster, a man called Parven, have revenge on a Dunmer called Jiub. It sounded as if Jiub had wronged Parven in some way, but I wasn't given the specifics about the Guildmasters past. This Jiub had formed another guild long ago called the "Adamant Slayers of Parven" or ASP for short. I thought it was a stupid name. I left the bar and went to the tiny Guild Hall built into a mountain outside Suran. After storing what few belongs I had in the Guild, I went back to talk with the Guildmaster about my first mission.

The following is a journal of the missions I have done for Forlorn.

**Chapter 1: Siege on Sadrith Mora**

My first mission for this guild was not as easy as I had hoped it would be. The Guildmaster said that a battalion from the ASP had taken Sadrith Mora, a large island city off the eatern coast of Vvardenfell within the Sea of Ghosts. My mission was to drive them out by either killing them all or scaring them off. Worst of all, he didn't have any weapons to supply me with and I only had a few septims with me. Going against a group of soldiers unarmed was just foolish, but I didn't have much choice. I figured it would be best to find a weapon when I got there, if the city was taken by force there must be a few corpses laying around, I might find something useful on them.

I took a boat to the town of Tel Mora, it was on an island north of Sadrith Mora. I found a shop that sold magic items and purchased a couple water walking scrolls, I wasn't about to swim to Sadrith Mora, slaughterfish were quite common in the Sea of Ghosts and becoming fish food didn't sound very appealing.

On my way to Sadrith Mora from Tel Mora, I went from island to island using the water walking scrolls I had bought from the Tel Mora Trader. After an hour or two I reached the northern shore of the island Sadrith Mora was on. I made my way south, carefully avoiding any beasts on the way. I came to a root shaped like a small arch with curved spikes along the outside, this was used as the northern gate into Sadrith Mora, as I passed under it an Imperial quickly approached me. He wore an iron cuirass and carried a saber on his belt, if he attacked head on I wouldn't stand a chance.

"Who're you?" he shouted as he stumbled up to me, he seemed to be a bit drunk.

"I'm just an explorer, is something going on? This town seems a bit quiet." I answered, hoping he was too full of Flin to realize how bad of a liar I was.

"Yes!" he said, standing up as straight as he could given his condition, "We, the Ari... Fer... Farn... uh... no, that's not it... I know it started with an F... maybe it was Firvon? no..."

"I think you mean Forlorn." I interrupted, his mumbling was quite irritating "Forlorn! That's it, thanks! But how'd you know? You with them?" he asked, carefully looking me over.

"Er, no." I said, trying to come up with a decent lie. "The group I met to the north said they were with Forlorn though."

"What! There're some to the north!"

"Yeah, want me to show you where they are?"

"Yes! If I tell the boss where they are I could get a promotion!"

"Ok, follow me."

I lead him a bit north until Sadrith Mora was out of sight, on the way he talked about how they had been able to take over Wolverine Hall, and make it their headquarters.

"They're just beyond there." I pointed to a cluster of pillar-like rocks surrounded by large mushrooms and kreshweed, he nodded and began sneaking toward them.

"Did he empty a dozen bottles or is he just a complete idiot?" I thought to myself as I bent over to pick up a stone about the size of my fist. I walked up behind him and struck the back of his head with the stone, knocking him out cold.

I made my way back to Sadrith Mora. Climbing the hill next to the gate gave me a good view of the path.

"It looks clear." I said to myself as I began down the road, only to be proven wrong when two people from around the corner came into view. I quickly ducked behind some Kreshweed growing outside the Telvanni Council House. The people I saw just walked past the road without even looking in my direction. I looked over my shoulder at the Council House, trying to figure out the best way to get into Wolverine Hall. I tried to recall my last visit to Sadrith Mora, I explored the Council House a bit that time and met an alchemist. Maybe there was a potion in his shop I could use, unless those idiots from the ASP had already raided it.

I crept up to the door and pressed my ear against it, the other side seemed quiet. As I slowly opened the door a foul smell seeped out, I peered inside and saw the walls of the room were spotted with blood. The corpse of a Bosmer laid in the far left corner of the room, he had a dagger in his hand and a katana through his chest, the robe he wore was covered in cuts and tears and was stained red with blood. I hurried down the right hallway, feeling quite ill, I wasn't used to seeing corpses that torn apart, or maybe it was just the stench of all that blood. In the room at the end of the hall there was a door in front of me and rooms to my right and left, I entered the left room and saw shelves of potions and a crate of scrolls. I searched through the scrolls and found a burst shock one. I pocketed the burst shock scroll and looked through the potions, not much there that could help me except an invisibility potion. I suddenly got an idea, I grabbed the invisibility potion, made sure the burst shock scroll was still in my pocket and hurried back to the exit. On my way out I took the dead Bosmers chitin dagger, just to have some kind of weapon. I left the Council house and turned south toward the docks.

I ran south along the hillside, using the mushroom trees and giant roots as cover. I slid down the hill to the waters edge and looked toward the docks, the two smaller boats had been sunk, and the sail of the ship was shredded. The Gateway Inn came into view, there was someone standing guard by the stone door. I stayed along the coast, passing the Inn. I finally made it to the northern wall of the Wolverine Hall, after surveying the eastern area I counted four guards. There was one on the bridge to the fort, another outside Dirty Muriel's Cornerclub and two paroling the roads. I went around the western side of the fort, hoping to find another way in. The west side was just a sharp cliff into the sea, but it would be easier to swim or climb than worry about four guards. I pressed myself against the side of the fort and climbed along the cliff, trying not to fall into the sea. Looking around the corner to the south wall I noticed some stairs, a door with a travel lantern hanging next to it and a Dunmer clothed in bonemold armor, all he was missing was a helmet. He was facing south, out to sea, probably watching for boats. I drew my dagger and crept around the corner, there was a gap between the cliff and where he stood, I took a running jump at the Dunmer.

As I landed and attempted to grab him, he turned and punched me right in the stomach. "Fool! Did you think that I, Commander Rodran of the ASP, would be slain so easily?" he growled, looking down at me as I clutched my stomach trying to catch my breath.

"Y... you're the leader?" I asked, trying to stand up.

"Yes, and you must be from Forlorn." he said as he took a wakizashi from his belt and pointed it at my chest "Drop your blade." I thought for a moment and tossed my dagger into the sea. "Good, now turn around and get inside. A public execution might boost morale." he said with a creepy grin on his face.

I turned and looked at the door, trying to make an escape plan.

"Well?" he said impatiently "Move!" I dashed to my right, grabbing the travel lantern hanging on the wall and ran down the stairs, halfway down I turned around to see him halfway down the staircase. I threw the travel lantern at his head, hoping to slow him down, and hurried down the second flight of stairs, pulling the shock burst scroll out of my pocket.

As I descended I began reading the incantation on the scroll "Osli... qunitac... iaft..." I turned back to the stairs once I made it to the bottom, Rodran was a few steps away from me, I held up the scroll. "Teasl!" A blinding flash of lightning flew from the scroll to Rodran, knocking him on his back as he screamed in pain from the electricity surging through his body. The scroll turned to dust in my hands. I looked at Rodran, who had rolled down the stairs to my feet, I hoped he was dead.

There was a slam as a Breton came running out of the door atop the stairs

"What's going on out here? Comman-" he stopped mid-sentence once he saw me standing over Rodran.

"You!" I shouted at the Breton "Tell the other members of the ASP that if they don't want to end up like that," I pointed to Rodran's corpse "they had better disband, and leave Sadrith Mora in peace. Understand!"

He had a shocked look on his face. "D...disband or die, right, I'll tell everyone." his voice was filled with fear, he must must've been a coward, I'm not in the least bit scary.

The next day the ASP was gone, and Sadrith Mora slowly went back to normal. There were rumors that they did disband, I never really knew for sure. I left the town for a day after killing Rodran, giving the Breton a chance to spread the word, hoping to avoid any more bloodshed. Once the ships sail was repaired I returned to the guild.

After telling the Guildmaster of my victory I was awarded a bow called Magebane, a quiver of arrows and taught 4 magic powers, Mark, Recall, healing magicka, and lightning magicka.


	2. Search for Sultan

**Chapter 2: Search for Sultan**

After a day of rest I had a chat with the Guildmaster about another mission, he told me that a Dunmer called Sultan was hiding somewhere in Vivec. Sultan was one of Jiubs personal assistants, and knew the location of a cache of weapons.

"That would help the guild a lot." he said, "The other members of the guild could use some better weapons."

"Ok, I'll do my best to find him."

I turned to leave.

"Nem, watch out for other ASP members. There's no telling how many are in Vivec. I'm sure they know what you look like now too, thanks to your little liberation of Sadrith Mora."

"Thanks for the warning, see you later."

"Good luck."

The Silt Strider traveled across the landscape as I pondered my new mission. Finding someone in a city as massive and confusing as Vivec was not going to be easy, what was I thinking when I signed up for this? I sighed as the Strider came to a stop just outside the Foreign Quarter of Vivec, the sky turned to a soothing shade of pink as the sun began to set, I should have left earlier. I glanced up at the canton that towered before me.

"Nine of these." I muttered to myself, wondering once again what I had gotten myself into.

I climbed up the path to the entrance of the Foreign Quarter, wondering where the best place to get information would be. I entered the canton, the stone halls had an orange glow from the lights, I never really liked this city, the interior always looked so gloomy to me. I walked the hallways, looking at the different rooms. An Apothecary, an Alchemist, a rare book shop, I made a mental note to come back to the bookstore once I finished my mission. Down the hall opposite was the Black Shalk Cornerclub, I figured someone in there might know something about this Sultan guy.

The Cornerclub was quite crowded, this explains why I only saw Ordinators walking the halls. I took a seat at the end of the bar, next to an Altmer. After ordering some Greef I asked the bartender about a Dunmer called Sultan and the ASP, he seemed a bit nervous after I asked, saying he hadn't heard of the ASP or anyone called Sultan, and quickly walked away. I took a sip of Greef, feeling a bit tired.

"Excuse me." I heard someone whisper, I turned and realized it was the Altmer next to me. "You said you're looking for Sultan?" he asked.

"Yes, do you know where I can find him?"

"Why do you want to find him?"

"Why else? I want to join the ASP."

"I see." he glanced around the room to see if anyone was listening, "Meet me at the Telvanni Canalworks around noon tomorrow, if you need a place to spend the night this place has rooms for rent." he said before standing up and walking out of the Cornerclub.

"That was odd, I must be becoming a better liar or I keep running into idiots." I thought, finishing off my drink.

I inquired about renting a room for the night, and took the cheapest one. It was a tiny room with a single bed and a chest in the corner, the candle on a table by the bedside provided the only light, it was just as dreary as the rest of this city. I removed my robe and armor, placing it in the chest, and set my bow and quiver against the wall by the table. As I laid in the bed I thought about todays events and what tomorrow could bring, the Altmer that said he would help me, it just seemed fishy.

"Probably a trap, but it's not like I have any other leads." I thought aloud, talking to myself when I'm thinking is a habit, probably a bad one. "Why the Telvanni Canalworks anyway? Could they be involved with the ASP somehow?" I rolled over, trying to clear my head "Nah, it's probably just a coincidence." I was too tired to really bother thinking about it.

Morning came and nearly went before I woke up, I got dressed, grabbed Magebane and my quiver. I bought some crab meat at the bar for a late breakfast before heading out of the Foreign Quarter and dashing off to the Telvanni canton. I glanced up at the sun, it looked to be about 11:30. As I passed the Redoran and Arena cantons I noticed dark clouds gathering overhead, it was going to rain soon. I went inside the Telvanni canton just as the rain started coming down, it looked like it was going to be quite a storm.

I went down the stairs into the Canalworks, the Altmer I met in the bar was leaning against the wall near the trapdoor to the Underworks, waiting for me.

"Glad you came, and forgive me for not properly introducing myself earlier, my name is Anaren."

"Oh, my name's Nem. Can I ask you something Anaren?"

"Of course, although I cannot promise an answer."

"Why are you helping me meet Sultan?"

"Such a simple question. I am part of the ASP, a recruiter to be specific. I find promising warriors and mages and, after an evaluation of their skills, take them to meet Sultan and make them an official part of the ASP."

"I see, but what made you think I would be a good choice?"

"I know these things, it comes with age and experience. I saw potential in you, and you said you were interesting in joining us."

"Potential? Um, thank you. But what is this evaluation I need to take?"

"It's a simple test of skill, in your case, your skill with the bow you carry."

"Ok, where do I take this test?"

"An eager one aren't you? Follow me." He opened the trapdoor and climbed down into the Underworks.

"It's just down here." he said, leading me to a wooden door into the center of the Underworks. As I entered I looked around, it was empty, just a foul smell in the air and a light hanging in the center of the room.

"Anaren wha-" the door slammed behind me and the lock clicked, I was trapped. "Anaren! What're you doing!" I yelled through the door.

"Don't act like a fool, I know you're with Forlorn."

"So you're just going to lock me up and leave me to die!"

"No, a friend of ours is in there with you."

I looked back at the room after hearing this, there was a something in the corner. I took a closer look, it was a pile of bones and shattered skulls. I turned to go back to the door and realized there was now someone standing in the light, looking at me. It was an Orc wearing rusted and bloodstained armor, he held a warhammer in his right hand. "Food." is all I heard him mutter before he charged at me. I leapt out of the way and his hammer struck the wall, sending shards of stone flying in all directions.

"Such strength, I'm glad he doesn't have the speed to back it up." I thought to myself as I avoided another swing. "I can't get enough distance to use Magebane in this room, what can I do? If he hits me it's over!" I ran in front of the door, if I could get him to hit it... he rushed me again, I felt the warhammer nick the armor beneath my robe as I dodged. The wooden door cracked and the hinges gave way when the warhammer struck it. The Orc seemed to pause as the door fell over, I ran out not giving it much thought, the only thing going through my mind was "Run!"

I sprinted along the canal to the ladder, and skidded to a stop after I saw Anaren standing near it.

"You!" I yelled, forgetting about the Orc and grabbing Magebane and an arrow. Anaren jumped when he heard my voice,

"H-how did you get out?"

I just glared at him "Shut up and answer my questions!" I fired an arrow, striking his right leg. I walked up to him, firing another arrow through his left arm. I stood over him as he lay on the ground bleeding, nocking an arrow and aiming at his face. I hesitated, remembering my mission. "Tell me where Sultan is and I won't kill you."

"H-he's staying at St. Olms canton, South-two of the Canal."

"Thanks." I lowered my aim let go of the bowstring, letting the third arrow pierce his left leg. "Now, if that was a lie I'll know you can't go too far." I said, climbing up the ladder.

As I climbed the staircase to the Telvanni Waistworks, there was a scream followed by a loud smash. I ran back down the stairs and opened the trapdoor, at the bottom of the ladder I saw what must have been Anaren. His head had been crushed and his right arm was torn off, the Orc that nearly killed me was sitting a few feet from the remains, gnawing on Anarens severed arm. I quietly shut the trapdoor and went back up the stairs.

"I hope my next mission isn't as bloody as these first two have been... I feel sick." I mumbled, leaving the Telvanni canton.


	3. Interrogation

**Chapter 3: Interrogation**

The rain was still falling outside, harder than I expected, the clouds blocked out the sun, it was probably around two in the afternoon by now, but it looked like midnight. There was a bright flash, followed by a deafening boom of thunder. I could hardly see because of the darkness and rain, but eventually found St. Olms. I walked along the side of the canton, reading the addresses etched into the stone wall above the doors.

"N2C, I'm on the wrong side." I followed the wall along to the east side, the storm didn't show any signs of stopping. I came to S2C and just then realized I didn't have a plan to capture Sultan. I sat next to the door and looked up at the black clouds and the falling rain. I heard a faint tapping, an Ordinator was walking past a only a foot away from me, the sound of the rain muffled his footsteps and he didn't even see me, but I wouldn't have been able to see him if it wasn't for the torch he was carrying. "How can a torch stay lit in this rain?" I wondered for a moment, then got an idea.

The muffled sound, not being able to see your hand in front of your face, this rain was perfect. I got up and knocked on the door marked S2C and took a few steps back, so whoever answered the door wouldn't be able to see me very well. I took Magebane and got on one knee, aiming at the door, a moment later someone opened it "Yes?" despite the rain I could still tell his accent was that of a Dunmer. I attempted to make my voice sound like Anarens and hoped he got the order to kill me from Sultan.

"Sir, it is done." there was a pause, I looked that the dark outline of the man I thought was Sultan and aimed at his right leg.

"Oh, Anaren, good work. It's a bit difficult to hear you though, come on in."

"Sultan..."

"How many times must I tell you? I have to use a different name here so those fools from Forlorn don't find out where I am. Remember, it's Dra-" the bowstring slipped from my fingers because of the rain, and the arrow pierced Sultans right leg. I panicked, ran up to Sultan and punched him right in the face. He stumbled backwards into his house and tripped over a crate, the injury to his leg kept him from stopping before that. I walked into his house,

"Darn, is your face made of metal? I'm not doing that again without gauntlets on." I said to him, rubbing my right hand.

"Who the hell do you think you are! Do you have any idea who I am!"

I sighed, "Another idiot with stupid questions, but I'll be nice and humor you. I am Nem Orian, one of the "fools" from Forlorn. And you are Sultan, member of the ASP and one of Jiub's personal assistants."

"Ugh, this isn't happening, how could you have found me!"

"Anaren told me in exchange for his life, you think people with valuable information like that would have some resistance to torture and death threats... but enough of this, we can talk later." I looked around, saw a sturdy wooden staff in the corner of the room and grabbed it.

"Anaren, how dare he... huh? What're you doing with my-" I struck the side of his head with the staff, knocking him out.

I untied and unraveled the rope hammock in the corner, and used it to detain Sultan. I left enough rope from the end so I could drag him along, he was too heavy to carry and I didn't want to give him the chance to run by leaving his legs untied, I also used a piece of cloth as a gag to keep him quiet. I pulled him along toward the Silt Strider, the rain continued to fall, I wasn't sure the storm was ever going to stop. I finally came to the bridge out of Vivec, the rain started to get lighter. As I approached the Silt Strider's... Siltman I suppose... I was given an odd look. I glanced back at Sultan who was now struggling to get free from the ropes. I sighed and handed the Siltman a couple hundred septims I made a few days ago from selling some homemade potions.

"Just take us to Suran, after that you can just forget about us. Ok?" he stared at the gold for a moment.

"Is this...?" he began to ask

"No it's not stolen, so will you give us a lift or not?"

"Well... all right, get in."

By the time I returned to the Guildhall it was nearly midnight. I entered, still dragging Sultan along.

"Back at last, our little talk will have to wait until tomorrow Sultan. Now then, where can I put you?" I searched around, the best place seemed to be a closet near the beds. In the closet there were spare pillows and blankets on the shelves, the floor was big enough to stuff Sultan there for the night. I rolled Sultan into the closet and bent over. "Look, just keep quiet and I'll take the cloth out of your mouth, ok?"

He nodded

"Good." I removed the cloth, it was moist with saliva. "Oh gross, Dunmer drool." I grumbled, tossing it into the corner of the closet.

"So what are you going to do to me?" he asked

"Ask you some questions, what else?"

"Let me guess, if I refuse or lie I'll be tortured, and if I'm truthful and tell you all I know you'll have no more use for me and just execute me."

"That's up to the Guildmaster, just keep in mind there are fates worse than death." I said, closing and locking the door.

I awoke on a bed near the closet door, nothing like a good rest before extracting information from someone. I got up, unlocked the closet door and opened it. Sultan was still on the floor, sleeping in his rope blanket. I grabbed the loose rope and took him to a room with a table that had a chair on each side, a small window, and a candle. There was also a guard standing in the corner, just in case Sultan thought about doing anything stupid.

I untied Sultan and helped him get to a chair, his body was numb from being tied up for so long.

"Now then." I said, sitting down "Ready for our little talk?"

"No."

"Didn't think you would be. What's the problem?"

"I haven't eaten or had a chance to, well, take care of business, for nearly a day! What do you think is the problem?"

"Well answer my questions quickly and I'll make sure you get some food and a bucket." "Ugh, I hate you."

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual. So where is Jiub and the ASP?"

"Ha, I'm not like that traitor Anaren, I'll never tell the likes of you where Master Jiub is." "Yes, I expected as much. How about a weaponry stash? I know you know of one."

"Why would I tell you of that either?" I sighed and stood up, walking over to the guard. "Simple." I took an iron dagger from the guards belt. "I may hate violence, but I hate the ASP more." I turned and glared at him. "If you don't give me the location of that weapons stash, the rest of your life will be filled with pain and suffering."

"And if I tell you you'll just kill me anyway, right?"

"I told you, if you give up the information, it's up to the Guildmaster. Not me."

"Then I refuse!"

"Why must you make me do this?" I walked over and swung the dagger at his face, cutting his right cheek. He flinched and covered the cut with his left hand, setting his right on the table. "That enough motivation?" I asked

"Why you..." I regripped the dagger and slammed it downward, through his right hand and into the table, he let out a yell.

"If you want to keep your hand, tell me where the weapon stash is!"

"Argh! Ok, I will, just pull it out!"

I pulled the dagger from his hand, "Well?"

He wrapped part of his shirt around his hand, trying to stop the bleeding. "It's west of Caldera, in a cave called Kironsni."

"How many guards?"

"Only three of them."

"Thank you." I gave the bloody iron dagger back to the guard and left the room. I leaned against the wall, feeling a bit ill. I rested for a moment, then went to gather my equipment. After informing the Guildmaster that I had obtained the information and was leaving to raid the cave, I bought a chitin dagger as a backup weapon, picked up the three Pack Guar that were to help me and started my journey to Caldera.


	4. Kironsni

**Chapter 4: Kironsni**

The city of Caldera came into view after about three days. I asked around town about a cave called Kironsni, according to a Bosmer it was straight west of town, and the door was built into the north side of a mountain. I began west, along the mountains. After a while I found an old wooden door on the mountainside, "Death awaits all who enter." was scrawled on it, the warning appeared to be written in blood. I looked back at the Pack Guar and hoped they wouldn't wander off.

The door let out a creak as I entered. A lit torch by the door and endless darkness was all I could see, it reminded me of Vivec during the storm, but I had a faint idea of where I was going then. I took the torch from the wall and slowly ventured into the dark unknown. The path went straight a few meters, and then ended.

"A dead end?" I thought, looking left and right to see if it was just a corner. "I know I didn't pass a door or hall, I slid my hand against one wall and kept an eye on the other on my way down here. There must be a switch or something." I examined the wall, feeling around for a switch or lever. Time passed and the torch dimmed, "Nothing, it must be further back, or this isn't even the right cave." I sighed and leaned against the wall.

There was a click and the wall to my left slid to the side, revealing a path deeper into the cave. There was a light at the end of the new tunnel. I threw the torch down the path leading to the exit, so if anyone looked down the tunnel they wouldn't see me. I readied my bow and began toward the light, there were voices coming from the room at the end of the path. I stood in the shadows a few feet from the doorway and listened to the voices coming from the room.

"Why did we have to get assigned to this boring job?"

"Because we failed our last mission, remember?"

"True, but it was much too difficult for us in the first place. He should have expected us to fail."

"Why does he want that thing so badly anyway?"

"You didn't know? It belonged to his great grandfather."

"It must be a rusted hunk of junk by now if it's that old."

"You don't have a memory do you?"

"I remember what I'm supposed to do, not why."

"It's enchanted, and his great grandfather was known to be one of the greatest necromancers on Vvardenfell."

"And he wants to be one as well?"

"Exactly, he thinks the staff will make him even more powerful."

I only heard two voices, until a third, oddly familiar voice shouted "Would you two keep quiet, I'm trying to get some sleep here! Who gives a damn about Harnaten and his obsession with necromancy anyway."

"Sorry boss."

"Yeah, sorry, but do you really have to keep yelling at us for every little thing? So some Breton took you down with a lucky shot, don't take out your rage on us."

"Dammit! I said never mention that again!"

"Boss, what are you doing? H-hey.. calm down!" there was a loud crash followed by the clunk of metal against stone

"Boss, you... you broke a crate... on his head."

"He was lucky it was empty. I'm going back to sleep, don't bother me unless we're under attack."

"Yes sir."

A door slammed shut and silence filled the cave.

I crept forward, there was a ledge with stairs leading into the pit-like room to the right. The room was lined with crates and barrels. Someone in full chitin armor was laying on the floor surrounded by broken chunks of wood, there was an Imperial wearing a green robe standing over him.

"You need to learn how to think before opening your mouth." I heard him mutter before he turned and walked into a back room. I crept down the stairs and saw two doors, listening outside the door next to the stairs I heard a faint snoring, the Imperial went through the other and the person in chitin armor was still unconscious on the ground.

"That's all three of them?" I thought "This equipment must not matter much if they left people like this to guard it."

I searched the crates as quietly as I could, armor, arrows, weapons, there was a bag full of scrolls, an open barrel with nearly a dozen claymores poking out of it, "I've never seen this much equipment, how many of these stockpiles could they have?"

"Ugh, what happened?" I jumped, the person in chitin armor was waking up! I grabbed my bow and an arrow, taking aim at his head.

He looked up at me, "Who're... an intruder!"

He rolled out of the way as I took the shot, quickly climbing to his feet. It was easy to see that he was off balance because of that blow to his head earlier, I shot another arrow, hoping he wouldn't get lucky twice. He didn't, in an attempt to dodge he stumbled and the arrow pierced the front of his helmet.

"AHH! My eye!" he fell onto his knees and pulled the arrow out of his eye as the robed Imperial came charging out of the back room.

"Aroth what happened!" he looked at his wounded ally and then me, "You're... Sir! Get out here! It's the enemy!" I grabbed another arrow from my quiver, the Imperial held up his right hand and shouted "Maeol censekrab slenc nerudo!"

A black orb shot from his palm, it was far too fast for me to avoid, I was struck directly in the chest. The blow didn't feel that strong, but after that spell hit, my strength seemed to vanish. "What... the..." was all I could mutter before falling to the ground and blacking out.

When I awoke my arms were tied behind my back, my legs were tied to a stake that was jammed in the ground and Magebane had been taken. I had been put in a small room, a couple candles and a door were all I saw. "Not again, what is it with all the tiny dark rooms on the accursed island? This one doesn't even have a bed! Of course it doesn't have a bloodthirsty psychopath either, that's a plus." I sighed and began trying to free myself from the rope.

As I struggled I heard something hit the ground, looking back I saw my dagger laying on the floor.

"They didn't search me? Idiots." I grabbed the dagger where the blade and hilt met, carefully trying to cut the rope around my wrists. After a couple minutes I managed to sever the rope, freeing my arms. The door at the other end of the room creaked open, the person wearing chitin walked in carrying an arrow in his right hand. "You're awake, good." As he walked over to me I noticed he was no longer wearing the helmet, and had a piece of cloth wrapped around his head that covered his left eye.

"You took my eye with this arrow, so now I'll take yours with it!" he paused, waiting for me to respond. I looked at the ground for a moment and started laughing. "What the hell are you laughing about?" he reached down, grabbing my throat firmly with his left hand "Tell me! What's so damn funny?"

I looked up, "I feel a bit sorry for you, you're having horrible luck today. You got hit with a crate, lost an eye..." I took the dagger in my right hand and thrust it into his neck. "And then you got stabbed in the throat, poor guy."

I cut the rope binding my legs and walked over to the door, it was slightly ajar. Opening it a bit more I saw a door across from the one I was at and table in the middle of the next room with three chairs around it. There was a basket of bread on the table, and shelves along the wall held many other types of food. I walked slowly into this room, looking around for my bow. I didn't find it, just a bunch of food and liquor. I grabbed a bottle of Flin that was sitting on a shelf and took a drink, "One down." I thought, glancing at the next door "Two more somewhere beyond there."

I pocketed the bottle and took a deep breath, grasping my dagger. Listening at the next door I heard someone humming, I opened the door as quietly as I could, given the condition of the ones in this cave. Peeking around the corner I saw the robed Imperial pacing in the large room full of equipment. I scanned the room for Magebane, it wasn't very far away, just a few feet from the door, leaning on a crate.

I closed the door, walked back to the dimly lit room and searched around the guards corpse for the arrow he had been holding. It was not far from his body, I put my dagger away and picked it up. Returning to the door, I took another peek at the Imperial, he was still pacing and humming. I waited until his back was turned and dashed over to my bow. I grabbed it and set the arrow in a flash, turning to the Imperial who, for some reason, probably his humming, hadn't heard my footsteps and still had his back to me. I didn't bother with fighting fair, it was clear by that spell he used earlier he was a necromancer, and as far as I was concerned people that defile the dead deserve no mercy. He let out a yell and fell to his knees as the arrow lodged itself into his back.

The Imperial looked back at me, "How..." he began say, before I interrupted him

"Shut up. There are three groups of people I hate..." I said, setting down my bow and sifting through the weapons in a nearby crate. "The ASP, Necromancers and slave owners..." I pulled a well made bonemold axe out of the crate. "And you sir, are two of the three." I walked over to the wounded Imperial and held the axe over my head. "Hold still and maybe it won't hurt much!" I said as I swung the axe down, cleaving his head off.

After sliding the headless corpse against the wall, I heard something clapping together. That familiar voice from earlier echoed throughout the room,

"Heh, well done. I'm glad you have some genuine skill and not just luck." I turned toward the exit, that seemed to be where the voice was coming from. "Or maybe..." a figure stepped out of the shadows, polished bonemold armor shining in the torchlight, "My allies were just weaklings." A Dunmer looked down at me, his spiked red hair, his bonemold armor, that icy stare, it couldn't be him.

"That's..." I stuttered "That's not possible, I killed you!"

He just laughed. "You can't kill me so easily! You got lucky back in Sadrith Mora! When that spell hit me I was knocked out for a while, but most of my soldiers fled before I awoke and my mission was proclaimed a failure. It got me demoted, to this hell hole, with those fools... it makes my blood boil, that a weakling like you was the cause of my biggest failure!"

"You done jabbering Rodran? Because I'm not in the mood to listen to your whining! If you're angry just kill me if you can!" I shouted, throwing the axe at him and running to get my bow.

I snatched my bow and looked back at Rodran, he had drawn his sword and was already at the foot of the staircase. I reached for an arrow, forgetting I didn't even have my quiver. Rodran rushed me, swinging his sword in rage, I managed to deflect his sword with my bow, but my dagger was out of reach. I conjured a shockball in my right hand and threw it at Rodran, it stopped him long enough for me to get my dagger. I continued to use my bow as a makeshift shield, attempting to find an opening for a quick stab, something on the ground behind him caught my eye, it was the Imperials head. I let my guard down for a moment and felt Rodrans sword hit my arm. It cut through my robe and pierced my armor, it didn't go very deep, but it was enough to make me drop Magebane. I ducked under his next swing and ran behind him, cutting his left palm on the way. I ran over to the Imperials head, grabbed it and threw it at Rodran. He was able to block it, but he didn't see me charging until I was almost next to him. I crashed into his chest shoulder first, knocking him onto his back. He dropped his sword and I thought I broke my arm, that armor was harder than it looked. I began an incantation for the best shock spell I knew, it was about as powerful as the one I used on him last time. He went for his sword as I finished the spell, sending a blast of electricity at him. He was weakened, but still conscious, I went over and stepped on his right hand with all my might, breaking a couple of his fingers. He screamed, scrambling to his feet and running toward the exit.

"Damn you!" He shouted as he ran away. "I'll be back, you won't survive our next encounter!" he vanished into the darkness.

"I thought I was a coward, oh well, it saves me some energy." I mumbled, staring at the exit.

After tending to my wounds I looked over at the sword Rodran left behind.

"A Katana made of Bonemold? That's rare." I set it with the other equipment and went out to get the pack guar, setting torches along the path outside. They hadn't gone far, one was sleeping near the door and the other two were wandering around nearby. I lured them into the cave, loaded up the weapons, armor and whatever else was in there and began my long trek back to Suran.


	5. Assassination

**Chapter 5: Assassination**

After a brief meeting with the Guildmaster, I was told about an intelligence member of the ASP. He had been seen in Vivec, in the Elven Nations Cornerclub. I was ordered to find and kill him without drawing too much attention to myself, but being subtile wasn't one of my strong points. I only agreed to do it since the other missions were either boring or too much for me.

Hopping off the Slit Strider, I headed toward the Foreign Quarter of Vivec. I stopped before the bridge and muttered the mark spell, something told me this mission was going to be a bit difficult. I walked across the bridge into Vivec, glancing up at the Foreign Quarter,

"Another mission in this dismal city, I should've taken a different one." I sighed, returning my depressed gaze to the road ahead.

A Breton with a serious look on his face was chatting with the gondolier, I caught a glimpse of a dagger as I passed by, the gondolier was being robbed in broad daylight.

"I'm not in the mood for a fight, but I can't just let him get away with it. Curse my luck." I thought, turning around. "Pardon me," I said to the Breton, quickly pulling out my dagger and holding to his throat, "explain to me what is going on here, are you robbing this person?" he froze, feeling the blade against his skin.

"N...no." he stuttered,

"That's a lie! This man threatened to gut me where I stood if I didn't give him all my gold!" gondolier shouted, taking a few steps back.

I glared at the Breton "Is that so? You had better report this then, I'll make sure he stays here."

"Th- thank you!" said the gondolier, before running off to find an Ordinator. Moments later he returned with one, and the Breton was arrested. "Thanks again for saving me," the gondolier said after the Ordinator and Breton had gone, "I'm Devas Irano, is there anything I can do to repay you?" "How about a lift to the Hlaalu canton?"

"Of course! Follow me."

The gondola stopped at the Hlaalu canton dock, I said goodbye to Devas and climbed to the plaza gates. Finding the Elven Nations Cornerclub was easy, finding an ASP agent without being noticed was going to be a lot harder. I went into the Elven Nations, sat down at the bar and ordered a drink, listening to the various conversations.

An Imperial was complaining about his day to an Argonian, a Bosmer was hitting on an Altmer with some of the worst pickup lines I had ever heard, a Khajiit was telling a small group about a psychotic, cannibal Orc going on a rampage in the Telvanni canton, nothing seemed noteworthy until I saw a Dunmer, that fit the description that I was given, with a Redguard, having a quiet conversation at the corner table. I strained my ears, trying to listen to them.

"...my...sion..."

"Alw...ith...isn...?"

The other voices in the club muffled their whispers.

"Me...tairs...nutes."

I couldn't understand anything, but after that last bit the Dunmer got up and left. I waited a moment before heading out myself. He left the plaza, I stayed as far away as I could without losing sight of him. He went into the canalworks and down the trapdoor to the underworks. I dashed across the room to a different trapdoor and descended into the underworks after him.

From where I was I could see the agent at the other end of the tunnel. "He must be waiting for someone, probably that Redguard." I thought, looking for a way to get closer without being seen. The water running through the center of the tunnel seemed to be the safest bet, as long as no slaughter fish had found their way in here. I lowered myself into the water, swimming as quietly as I could along the wall. When I was about halfway to the Dunmer I heard the creak of a trapdoor opening.

"It's about time you got here," I heard the Dunmer say "what kept you?"

"Someone was in the Canalworks, I had to wait until they had gone."

I couldn't see who was talking, but it sounded like a Redguard, and someone in the canalworks, did he mean me?

"So, what's the job this time?"

"You see, certain events have lowered our supplies a bit, not really enough to worry about but enough to irritate the Master. We would like you and your team to obtain some more from Fort Darius, they recently got a shipment of equipment in, so there should be plenty for the taking." "Gnisis huh? Not much out that way, that's got to be one of the most pathetic Forts on Vvardenfell. What's the reward?"

"Ten thousand septims, is that agreeable?"

"Hmm... fine, I'll gather my troops and begin toward Gnisis tomorrow, we'll go by foot, those lazy fetchers need the exercise."

"Very well, I shall inform the Master that you have taken his offer." After a moment I heard the trapdoor open and close, I lifted my head to see if both of them were gone, they were.

I pulled myself out of the water and climbed up to the canalworks through the nearest trapdoor. Searching through the canal and waistworks, my target had vanished. I eventually found myself on the outside of the Hlaalu canton, gazing across the water at the Foreign Quarter and Redoran cantons. I looked down at the sparkling blue water,

"The Guildmaster is not going to be happy about this." I mumbled.

I stared at the water, thinking about going back to Suran, when something caught my eye. The Dunmer I was sent to kill was walking over the lower bridge to the Redoran canton! I grabbed my bow, dashing closer for a better vantage point. I stopped in the middle of the high bridge and took out an arrow, aiming at the back of the Dunmer. I took a deep breath, knowing if I missed I probably wouldn't get another shot. I targeted his head, he wasn't too far away yet so I had a good chance of hitting my mark, releasing the bowstring I watched the arrow fly at him and pierce his neck. He fell to the ground, a pool of blood growing in size around his head. "Whew, got him."

"You! Hold it!" someone shouted. I turned to the Redoran side of the bridge and saw an Ordinator with his sword drawn.

"Oh crap!" I shouted, turning to run back to the Hlaalu canton, only to see an Ordinator on that side as well. "A pincer attack? Damn!" I grumbled, wondering how I was going to get out of this, it's not like I had enough gold to pay them off, and there was no way I was going to prison. Before I could cast the recall spell they both rushed me, swinging wildly. Their swords dug into my flesh, cutting through my armor like it was made of paper. After taking an onslaught of slashes I lost what little balance I had, falling backwards off the bridge. I hit the water head first, sinking like a rock. With the last of my strength, I managed to cast the recall spell.

"Hey! Wake up!" I heard someone shout.

Opening my eyes I saw one of the cantons looming overhead. The blurry figure of a Dunmer wearing a Gondoliers hat came into focus, "D...Devas?"

"Yeah, it's me."

As I tried to sit up a surge of pain went through my body, I let out a scream.

"Don't try to move! You're lucky to be alive." he said standing up, "Just hold on, I'll go get a healer."

I watched him run across the bridge into Vivec, realizing that I was laying just outside the Foreign Quarter. I chanted a heal spell and tried to sit up again, the pain was horrible, but I did my best to bear it. Looking down at my body I saw my robe was cut to ribbons, stained red with blood and soaking wet.

"Damn, this was one of my favorite robes too." I looked up, Devas was running back with an Altmer in tow. After being healed, buying a new robe and thanking Devas, I hurried to the Silt Strider and back to Suran.


	6. An Enthusiastic Imperial

**Chapter 6: An enthusiastic Imperial**

After a short stop in Suran to tell the leader about my somewhat botched mission in Vivec, I hurried back to the Silt Strider and went to Gnisis. The Guildmaster ordered me to warn them about the impending attack, and aid them in any way possible. I wasn't too fond of the idea, my wounds, although healed, still ached. After taking an onslaught from two Ordinators I should have been dead, but I guess fate had other plans in store for me. I stared at Gnisis as the Silt Strider approached, it didn't look like much, I honestly didn't care if they were attacked or not. If the soldiers stationed at this fort couldn't handle a few bandits, someone wasn't doing their job.

I stepped onto the platform and began walking to the small fort built into the mountainside, I wanted to tell them about it and leave before they got here. Even though through some people's eyes I could be considered the cause of the attack, I would rather not be around when all hell broke loose, a bottle of Greef sounded more inviting than another fight.

An Orc at the fort told me that their commander was at the inn, I didn't bother to ask why, the fort was so small there was probably barely enough room for the soldiers quarters. When I arrived at the inn I was pointed downstairs, a Redguard wearing a soldiers uniform was standing in front of a door, listening to the conversation on the other side. I walked slowly over and he turned his attention to me.

"What do you want?" he asked, giving me an irritated look

"I have to talk with your commander, it's important." I said, wondering what was happening on the other side of that door.

"He's with someone, from the sounds of things it will be a while befo..." the Redguard was intterupted as a voice beyond the door raised.

"How many times must I tell you? We are not taking on any more soldiers at this fort!." someone shouted

"Please, I was told this was the only place that would take new recruits..." another voice said.

"The barracks are full, we don't have room for you. Try joining a guild, they're always willing to take people."

"But I..."

"That's enough! Captain, show him out!"

"Yes sir." a third voice said.

A moment later a Nord opened the door, dragging an annoyed teenage Imperial with wavy, shoulder length brown hair behind him. The Nord took him upstairs and shoved him out the door.

"Pretty rough place." I said, turning back to the Redguard "Can I go in now?"

"Fine. Commander, another vistor."

"If it's someone looking to join, send him away." an irritated voice said from behind the door.

"I have important information, please give me a minute of your time sir." I said, poking my head through the doorway as the Redguard tried to hold me back.

"Very well, come in."

I stepped into the room, there was a bed in the corner and a table near the wall where the commander sat. The Nord that took the other person out had returned and stood guard by the door.

The commander looked up at me, "Yes, what did you have to say?"

"I was told to warn you about a group of bandits planning to attack the town, they should be here by tomorrow."

"Bandits? Is that all? Our fort may be small compared to others, but it's more than enough for a few bandits. I'll make sure to tighten our security for a couple days." the commander said casually, he clearly wasn't taking me seriously.

"These bandits should not be taken lightly, they're not just common thugs, they're more organized." I said, trying to get him to realize just how bad things could get if they weren't prepared.

"Yes, yes, I'll take care of things. Now if that's all, please be going." he said in the same, uncaring tone.

"Fine, don't believe me. I did try to warn you, if this turns into a bloodbath because of your carelessness, so be it. Nobody can say I sat by and did nothing." I said coldly, turning and walking out the door.

I slammed the door of the inn, and walked back to the Silt Strider, grumbling to myself all the way.

"Stupid son of a... how can an idiot like him become a commander? I swear, if this town gets leveled because of that... eh?" I looked over at a patch of mucksponge, the Imperial that was thrown out of the inn was sitting next to it, the sun reflecting off his Orcish armor. He seemed to be in deep thought.

I walked up next to him, "Excuse me..."

He glanced up at me and got to his feet. "Yes?"

"I saw what happened back at the inn, since these fools won't accept your aid I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining the guild I'm in." I said. After my screw up of the last mission, I thought maybe recruiting someone would be a good way to make the guildmaster a little less cross with me.

"What kind of guild is it?" He asked.

"What kind? Uh..." I thought back to my previous missions, it was hard for me to tell, I never paid much attention to that. I just did my job, I didn't bother to question why. "That's something you'd have to take up with the guildmaster, I'm not good at explaining things. Interested?"

"Sure, I don't have anything else to do since they didn't accept me here. I'm Bryenn, nice to meet you."

"First time I've heard that, my name's Nem Orian. Lets get going, I've done what I came here to do." I said, turning and continuing to the Silt Strider. We climbed aboard and began the journey back to Suran.

I looked back at Gnisis as we left, it was almost out of view when I saw smoke beginning to rise, and the sound of metal on metal echoing faintly in the valley.

"I tried to warn them... idiots." I mumbled

Bryenn looked back when I said that, "What's happening back there?!" he asked, quickly standing up.

"The bandits must've got there earlier than I expected. Good thing we got out of there before... eh?" I turned to see Bryenn leap off the Silt Strider. "What are you doing?!"

He landed hard, but didn't seem to be hurt, how someone wearing steel armor could land without falling over is beyond me. "I'm going back to help them, come on!" Bryenn shouted, running back to Gnisis.

"Hey! Wait!" I yelled, but he didn't turn back. "What kind of... fine, if he wants to die let him." I turned away for a moment, fighting with myself about what to do. "I can just... but it was my fault... no, it was... crap!" I clenched my fists and turned back, leaping off the Silt Strider. I rolled as I hit the ground, and bolted in the direction of Gnisis.


	7. Defending Gnisis

**Chapter 7: Defending Gnisis**

I ran to the top of a hill, Gnisis was on the other side of the river and I got a clear view of the chaos. Bodies were scattered across the town, a few houses had caught fire and there were more bandits than anyone could have expected. I saw Bryenn on the opposite riverbank, fighting off three bandits with a claymore that seemed to have a blue glow to it.

I readied my bow and fired an arrow at one of the bandits, it struck his arm and threw him off balance long enough for Bryenn to land a hit. When his sword struck a burst of blue flames surrounded the blade, setting the bandit on fire. I stood awestruck, wondering how someone that I expected to be a novice fighter had such a powerful enchanted weapon.

I hurried down the hill and swam across the river as Bryenn dispatched the other two bandits. I tossed my robe onto the ground, since it was waterlogged from the brief swim it would just slow me down in a fight like this.

"Hey..." I said, walking up behind Bryenn. "You're out of your mind, you know that?"

"I couldn't just stand by and watch the town and people be destroyed. These bandits deserve nothing less than death!" Bryenn said, raising his sword as another group of bandits attacked.

I sighed, shaking my head. "People like you cause so much trouble... we should just kill the leader, that'll get rid of them fast. At least, it did last time I was in this sort of situation."

"How do we find the leader?" Bryenn asked, cutting down a bandit that rushed him.

"I know what he looks like, and most leaders sit back and watch while their peons do all the work." I shouted over the blast of my lightning spell.

Bryenn finished off the last of the small group that attacked us and turned to me. "Well then, let's find him."

The bandits were coming from the path to the west, which made sense considering the main fort was on the east side of town. They weren't stupid, at least their leader wasn't. I ran along the coast, trying to stay out of sight. Bryenn on the other hand seemed intent on slaughtering every last one of them, cutting his way through the main path. I eventually lost sight of him, but the sound of his sword bursting into flame was heard every couple seconds, so I knew he was still alive.

The sounds of battle faded into the distance as I continued to run, and there were no bandits to be found. I was about to give up and go back to Gnisis when a ship floating off the coast came into view. There were three people aboard. I crept closer, using the trees and rocks as cover. I got a clear look at one of the people on the ship, it was the Redguard I saw talking to the person I killed in Vivec.

I took aim at one of them and fired, it struck the person in the throat and they fell overboard. The leader and his friend both picked up crossbows and started firing wildly at the shore. I targeted his henchman and shot, it hit his arm and he dropped the crossbow. I reached for another arrow but my quiver was empty. The leader had leapt off the ship and was running in my direction, his wounded ally crouched on the ship shakily aiming the crossbow.

I ran out from behind the tree and threw a shockball at the person left on the ship, he fired a bolt at me but missed due to his arm wound. The ball of lightning was a direct hit, he stumbled a bit and fell overboard. I turned my attention on the leader, who was only a few feet away.

I reached for my dagger, and was overcome with a feeling of dread. I had left my dagger in my robe, which was on the riverbank back in Gnisis. I quickly charged a shockball and hurled it at him, he just grinned, swinging his sword at it. There was a flash of light as the lightning hit his sword and the shockball came flying back, striking me in the chest. I let out a scream, dropping my bow and being knocked backwards onto the ground.

When the pain subsided I saw the Redguard standing over me, that smug grin he had just before deflecting my spell was still on his face, and his sword was aiming at my throat. I glared at him, there was nothing I would have liked better than taking my dagger and slicing that look right off his face.

"Well, you gonna kill me or just stand there like an idiot?" I asked, too angry about being taken down by my own spell to be afraid.

He just laughed. "You've got talent, we could use a sniper like you. A shame you work for our enemy. Why not join us? Leave that fool Parven to rot and join the ASP!"

"I may be a jerk sometimes, but I don't stab people in the back like that." I said coldly. "Unless I have a good reason of course..."

He laughed again. "If it's drakes you want, we get paid plenty. More than that fetcher Parven can pay you I bet! Besides, you'll end up dead if you don't join us now..." he pushed the sword against my neck a bit harder. "What do you say?"

"I say... it's about damn time you got here!" I shouted.

The Redguard gave me a confused look and was suddenly hit in the face with a fireball. He stumbled backwards and I rolled over, quickly dashing away from him.

"What the hell?!" the Redguard shouted, his hair and face burnt from the sudden attack.

Bryenn charged straight at the Redguard, he barely had time to block. Their swords connected and Bryenn's let out a blaze of fire, causing the Redguard to jump back in shock.

The Redguard grinned, "Well this is a surprise, who're you? Another of Parven's minions?"

"I don't know any Parven, I just can't stand people like you." Bryenn said coldly.

"I guess that means you won't be joining us either then, what a pity." the Redguard said, taking a step back. "My name is Chris Mortifer... I hope we can fight again."

"Wha-" Bryenn began, but there was a flash of light and the Redguard vanished.

"Crap... a recall spell." I said, peeking out from behind a tree.

"Hiding are you?" Bryenn asked, sheathing his sword.

I let out a nervous chuckle. "Well all I have to defend myself with right now is lightning magicka, and he had a sword enchanted with reflect. What could I have done?"

We walked back to Gnisis. The ground was covered in blood and corpses, some of the buildings were half burnt down, but only a few residents and soldiers were slain in the onslaught. We were approached by the Commander of the fort shortly after our return. He apologized to me for not taking my warning seriously, I told him not to make the same stupid mistake twice, and gave him a rather rude gesture as I walked away toward the Silt Strider.

He also offered to let Bryenn join the Imperial Legion after seeing how good of a swordsman he was. Bryenn declined, being a bit more polite than me. He said he was going to join the guild I was in, hoping to finish what he started with that Chris Mortifer fellow.

The siltman looked back at us, asking, a bit sarcastically, if we planned on jumping off again. I shook my head, giving him the same rude gesture I gave the Commander when he wasn't looking.

I sighed, looking over at Bryenn. "Well, I owe you one. Thanks for saving me from that lunatic."

"No problem, but I was wondering... how did you know I was there?" Bryenn asked, leaning back.

"I heard your armor, orcish doesn't move very quietly. I'm glad that guy didn't have good hearing." I chuckled, twisting one of the sleeves of my robe to get what was left of the water out.

"Yeah... I don't care for this armor, but it was free and my old armor was weak." Bryenn said, looking down at his armor.

"I'll ask the guildmaster to set you up with something different, you'll probably have to trade that in though." I said, putting on my still moist robe. "Ugh..."

"That's fine, how long until we're there?"

"A while yet, just relax and enjoy the trip."


	8. A Moment's Reprieve

**Chapter 8: A Moment's Reprieve**

"There it is!" I shouted cheerfully as Suran came into view. I had been staying here long enough it was starting to feel like home.

"Looks pretty big, where's the guild's building?" Bryenn asked, looking over the town.

"It's built into a mountain just outside town." I said, looking at the expression on Bryenn's face. It looked like he hadn't seen many big cities so I couldn't help but ask. "What town are you from anyway?"

"Dagon Fel, up in Sheogorad." Bryenn said, still staring at the town. "Ever been there?"

"I've wandered around for a long time, but I've never been there. I've wanted to go to Sheogorad for a while though, I hear there are all sorts of ruins scattered around the islands." I said, thinking about what I had read about that area.

"The ruins are a bit dangerous, full of monsters and criminals. One day I plan to go back and deal with them all, I just have to get stronger." Bryenn said, a determined look in his eyes.

"Maybe I'll help you out when you do. There's bound to be something I want hidden in those old ruins, something nobody else has been able to find…" I trailed off, starting to daydream about what was waiting to be discovered in the depths of some forgotten ruin. I was quickly brought to my senses when Bryenn spoke.

"What about you? Where are you from?" he asked.

"I'm not from Vvardenfell… I came here a couple years ago from High Rock. I came here looking for adventure and knowledge, found a lot of both, along with more near-death experiences than I can count." I said with a laugh.

The Silt Strider came to a sudden stop and I nearly fell off. My mind had been so focused on other things I hadn't noticed we were already next to the town.

Bryenn and I descended the staircase from the Silt Strider into Suran. We walked through the town and out the south gate, toward the small base built into the mountainside. It was a bit pathetic for a guild, only a room with 4 bunk beds so the members could rest, a shop for weapons, armor and a few other things, and the guildmaster's office.

As we approached the office door we heard voices from behind it.

"Well done for your trial mission, welcome to the guild." I heard the guildmaster say, before I knocked on the door. "Come in."

I opened the door and it let out a creak. The guildmaster was sitting on the other side of his desk, a rather thick book was open in front of him. A tall boy with puffy blonde hair was standing across from him, and glanced back us as we entered.

"Ah Nem, I trust this mission went better than your previous one?" The guildmaster asked, smiling. He was certainly in a better mood than the last time I spoke to him.

"Yes sir, the bandits were dealt with. However, I can't take much of the credit..." I said, stepping to the side so he could get a clear view of Bryenn. "This boy was the one that killed a majority of the bandits and chased off their leader."

"Is that so? I'm Parven, leader of the guild Forlorn. What's your name then boy?" the guildmaster asked, standing up.

"Bryenn." Bryenn said, giving Parven a slightly irritated look.

"If you're to join the guild, I must apologize... our newest recruit here has brought me something that must be taken care of right away, so I don't have time to find you a training mission at the moment. If you could come back in a hour or two, I'd be happy to have a chat with you then. Nem, why don't you take these two to the bar, I'm sure you could all use a drink after such tiring missions."

"Oh... all right." I said, as Parven led us out of his office. I heard the door's lock click behind us, and the three of us were left standing in a cramped hallway.

I quickly walked out the front door, feeling a bit claustrophobic. "Well that was odd, he's not usually in such a hurry." I said, looking back at Bryenn and the other person as they emerged from the doorway. I focused on the stranger for a moment, he was wearing a black shirt and pants and a pair of leather boots. His shirt bulged a bit, like there was armor underneath it. An odd looking katana was sheathed on his belt, it seemed a bit familiar.

"So you're new here eh? I'm Nem, and this is Bryenn, nice to meet you." I said, extending my right hand.

"I'm Schimmel Orrison." he said, shaking my hand.

"Well why don't we get to know each other over a few drinks? Since you're both new here I'll even be nice enough to buy." I said with a laugh, walking back to town.

We walked back through town and into the bar, a place called 'The House of Earthly Delights'. I walked in first, having been there a few times already I didn't even glance in the dancers direction, heading straight for the counter. When I looked back to ask what they wanted to drink, Bryenn and Schimmel were only a couple steps from the door. Schimmel was staring at the dancers, a somewhat shocked look on his face. Bryenn quickly turned and walked out the door.

I sighed, following Bryenn out the door. "Hey, where are you going?"

"If your guild gathers in a place like that I don't want any part of it." he said, turning around to face me.

"I don't care for it either, but it's the only bar in town. I've just learned to ignore them." I said, wondering what the big deal was. "If there was another place to get drunk, I'd gladly go there instead."

Bryenn stared at me for a moment, "Fine." was all he said before turning and walking off.

"There goes a good swordsman... oh well..." I sighed, going back into the bar. Schimmel was still standing there, staring at the dancers with the same stupid expression on his face.

"Snap out of it Orrison!" I shouted, slapping him on the shoulder.

Schimmel jumped, looking at me. "Oh... what?"

"What's with you two? I think we better make those drinks to go, so you don't turn into a zombie again." I laughed, walking over to the counter and ordering a bottle of Greef from the barkeeper. Schimmel looked over the bottles, unsure of what to pick.

"Maybe... this?" Schimmel mumbled, pointing at one of the bottles.

"I wouldn't recommend it... that stuff will burn out your brain cells faster than Skooma." I said, taking a drink. "If you're going to try something, make it something decent." I bought a bottle of Flin and tossed it to Schimmel. "There you go, enjoy."

"Thanks, I guess." he said, examining the bottle.

After purchasing our drinks we left the bar and began walking back to the guild. On the way I asked what sort of training mission the guildmaster had sent him on. He told me about a crazy Orc he had to kill in the Telvanni Canton in Vivec. I chuckled nervously, remembering my previous encounter with that Orc. If Schimmel could handle something that strong, he must be a good fighter.

The door to the guild creaked open as we approached, and Parven stepped out. He saw us and grinned. "Perfect timing! I've got a mission for both of you."

"One mission for two people? What kind of beast are you sending us after?" I asked, thinking I probably didn't want to know the answer.

"There's no beast, a few undead maybe, but they're not that strong. I want you two to find an old enchanted staff. It requires two people to disarm some of the traps and open the doors, that's why I want both of you to go."

"Sounds easy enough, where is it?" Schimmel asked.

"That's the problem... the tomb is somewhere east of Ald-Ruhn, nobody knows the exact location. There's obviously no path to it and there's always the chance it's on the Red Mountain."

"Great, the threat of blight... corpus... and worst of all, a ton of cliff racers." I sighed, "Are you trying to get us killed?"

"Not at all, I chose you two since you seem to be very able fighters. Some of the traps require someone smart." Parven said, looking at me. "Others need someone with exceptional agility and speed." he looked over at Schimmel. "You two should be fine!" he grinned, turning back to the door and walking though. "Good luck!" was all we heard before the door shut behind him.

I glanced at Schimmel, he looked a bit nervous. "Don't worry, we can buy a couple blight cures before we leave." I said, checking to see how many septims I had left.

"What about corpus?" Schimmel asked.

"There's no cure as far as I know, so don't catch it. Meet me at the Silt Strider in ten minutes, I'd like to get this over with." I said before going back to town.

After stopping to buy a cure blight potion for each of us, I met Schimmel at the Silt Strider and we began our trip to Ald-Ruhn. I just hoped our mission didn't take a turn for the worse like they usually did.


	9. A Blight Annoyance

**Chapter 9: A Blight Annoyance**

A desolate landscape crawled by as the silt strider walked slowly along. The hot, dry air parched my throat, and the town was nowhere in sight. I drank what little Greef was left in the bottle and tossed it out into the deserted hills of sand and rock. The heat seemed to be getting to Schimmel as well, wearing all black in a place like this wasn't a good idea.

The wind began to blow, bringing a bit of relief, but it continued to get stronger. By the time we arrived in Ald-Ruhn, there was so much sand and ash from the Red Mountain it was difficult to see, or breathe.

I led Schimmel down the narrow ramp for people using the silt strider, both of us nearly fell off at least once. We hurried into the first building we found, the Mages Guild. I shook my head violently, sending whatever was stuck in my hair in all directions. Schimmel coughed, wiping the dirt from his clothes.

"Blight storms... that's another thing I hate about this town." I grumbled, taking off my robe and shaking the ash from it. A member of the Mages Guild standing nearby gave me an irritated look, but I ignored him.

"I sure wouldn't want to live here..." Schimmel said, peeking out the door. The blight storm was still going strong.

"Other than the blight storms and heat it's not that bad of a town. You can find a lot of good stuff here, plenty of shops to browse." I said, putting my robe back on. "Why don't we go relax? Those storms usually last a while."

Schimmel looked around the Mages Guild. "Okay."

We took a staircase down, leading to the floor the spare rooms and teleporter was on. It overlooked a fair sized sitting area with two tables, both had books scattered on them. An Altmer and a Bosmer were sitting at the end of one of the tables, having some sort of debate. I grinned, I hadn't visited a Mages Guild since joining Forlorn. I hurried down the staircase to the sitting area, quite excited to be back. When I reached the bottom of the staircase I heard someone yell.

"Nem Orian! Where the hell have you been?!"

I stumbled backwards, tripping over the bottom stair and toppling over. The person must have startled Schimmel as well, he missed a stair on his way down and fell down the last few steps, landing right next to me.

A Breton with long brown hair, a dark blue robe and a fierce expression stood over me. After seeing the look on her face I realized who it was, and why she looked like she was about to beat me to a bloody pulp. I attempted to flee backwards on my hands and feet up the stairs but she stepped on the bottom of my robe to keep me from going too far. I gulped, giving up on escape and began wondering what she was going to do to me.

I chuckled nervously, grinning slightly. "H-hi Edwinna... it's been a while hasn't it? How've you been?"

"Don't give me that crap!" Edwinna shouted, giving me a stern look. "Now answer me, where have you been for the last two months?! Your guild dues are overdue and you still owe me a dwemer tube!"

"Yeah... I kinda, well... forgot about that tube... and I don't have anything to pay my guild dues with at the moment..." I stuttered. This woman was usually nice to other people, but she seemed to have some kind of grudge against me. I never bothered to try asking why, she scared the crap out of me.

"Enough of the excuses, when will you have what I want?" Edwinna asked, taking her foot off my robe.

"A couple weeks? I'm on a mission right now... so I'll get it right after I'm done, okay?" I asked, standing up.

"Don't forget again." She said coldly, before turning and walking through the door to the Mages Guild equipment shop.

I breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Schimmel, who was still facedown on the floor. "Uh... Schimmel? Are you hurt?" I asked, sitting down in one of the chairs.

Schimmel looked up, quickly getting to his feet. "I'm fine. I just didn't want to attract attention to myself when someone like that was around." he said, sitting down in the chair across from me. "Who was that anyway?"

"Edwinna Elbert, she's the leader of Ald-Ruhn's Mages Guild. I have no idea why she's so hostile toward me. I'd rather not talk about it right now." I said, reading the titles of some of the books scattered about the table.

Schimmel leaned back in his chair, thinking about something.

I couldn't take the silence for long, "So Schimmel, where are you from?" I inquired, it was the only thing I could think to ask. I didn't know much about him, and yet we were sent on a mission together.

Schimmel didn't seem to expect me to ask about that, it took him a moment to react. "I'm from Pelagiad, my family has a small farm down there."

"Pelagiad... haven't been there in a while." I said, recalling the last time I had been there. "That was the first city I went to after arriving in Vvardenfell. After visiting there I expected most of the other towns to be as pleasant, no such luck. Why did you leave, farm work get boring?"

"A bit... I'm just more interested in adventuring. There are so many places to visit and adventures to be had. There's some great adventure out there waiting for me, I just know it!" Schimmel said with confidence.

I stifled a chuckle. "Well you're bound to have plenty of adventures working for this guild... I sure have. Beats my dull life back in High Rock, that's for sure." I began telling Schimmel about my hometown, and reasons for coming to Morrowind. Along with a bit of the crap I went through before and after meeting Parven.

We continued to talk about whatever came to mind, going on for a little over an hour. The topic eventually wandered back to our mission, we were talking about the different ways to try and locate it when someone interrupted.

"Excuse me." A Dunmer said, sitting next to Schimmel. "I didn't mean to listen in, but I heard you mention something about having to find a tomb?"

I glanced over at her, she had long brown hair and wore a green robe that was similar to mine. She looked familiar, but I could never remember names. "Yes, do you know of any that are a bit unusual?"

"That's one way to put it. I went out for a walk one day and ended up running for my life. Three cliff racers thought I would make a good snack. I ran as fast as I could away from them, and found a tomb in the middle of nowhere. I hid inside, hoping there were no undead, but they were easier to handle than those winged terrors. I explored it a bit, all that was in there was a staircase leading down and a split path, both leading to dead ends with strange markings on the wall. That's all I found, no urns, no undead, nothing."

Schimmel and I glanced at each other, each thinking the same thing. "That's it."

After getting directions to the tomb, we hurried to the exit and opened the door. A blast of wind knocked us both backwards. The blight storm hadn't stopped yet. If anything, it had gotten worse.We turned back to the Mages Guild, wondering what do to.

"I'm gonna get some sleep for now." I yawned, walking back down the stairs and turning toward the spare rooms. "How about you?"

"Maybe I will in a while, I want to look around a bit right now." Schimmel said, going down the second staircase back to the reading room.

"Okay, see you later." I said, before going into the nearest room and collapsing on the bed. I fell asleep within seconds.


	10. The Forgotten Tomb

**Chapter 10: The Forgotten Tomb**

I awoke with my head at the foot of the bed, my feet resting on the pillow. It took me a moment to remember where I was. At first I thought it was an inn, but the decor quickly reminded me that I was in a Mages' Guild. I slowly got to my feet, resisting the urge to drift back to sleep. I yawned, wondering how long I had been out, and why Schimmel hadn't woken me.

I stumbled out of the room, still not entirely awake. The guild was quiet, more so than usual. I went down the staircase to the reading area, nobody seemed to be there, not even Edwinna, but that was probably for the best. I searched through the lower rooms but found nobody, even the shop was left unguarded. On my way back upstairs to check the spare rooms I heard a door shut and then footsteps. The Dunmer woman that told us where the tomb was located came down the stairs leading to the lobby. She looked at me for a moment, a surprised expression on her face.

"Oh! Awake at last Nem?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah... where is everyone?" I asked, feeling a bit stupid since I still couldn't remember her name.

"A lot of corpus beasts came from the east, both the Mages' Guild and Fighters Guild were asked to help stop them from reaching the town. I was asked to stay and watch the guild so nothing is stolen. Although I doubt I could do anything to stop a thief." She said, crossing her arms.

"Corpus beasts?! How could they get through the Ghostfence?" I pondered.

"That's the mystery. I tried to wake you and your friend, but you were both out cold." she said, walking down the hall to the spare rooms. "We should get him up, I doubt you want to sit around for long."

I followed behind her to the second spare room, she knocked on the door a couple times but there was no reply. I walked over and pushed the door open, Schimmel was asleep on his side, snoring loudly.

"Schimmel!" I shouted, standing over him. He continued to snore. I grabbed his shoulder and shook him a bit. "Wake up!" He mumbled something in his sleep, pulling the blanket over his head. I sighed, wondering how anyone could sleep so soundly. "Geez... it's like trying to raise the dead."

"I tried the same thing, but he just won't wake up. I can't blame him really with all the training he was doing though." She said, watching me try in vain to awaken Schimmel.

"What training?" I asked as Schimmel let out another deafening snore.

"He joined the Mages' Guild and did some alteration and restoration training. He seemed to be really interested in a few spells after hearing about them."

"No wonder he's so tired, after my first time training magic I was unconscious for nearly a day. Of course I was too stubborn to know when to quit." I glanced down at Schimmel, and decided to let him sleep for a while longer.

I went back to the other spare room, going back to sleep for now. Two hours later I faintly heard someone calling my name, it steadily got louder as I slowly awoke. It sounded a bit like Schimmel, but another voice quickly spoke up.

"Oh let me... get up you bum!" someone shouted, shoving me off the bed.

"I don't think you really needed to do that..." I heard Schimmel say.

"He needed it. Are you awake now, or do you need a good kick?" a familiar voice said, it took me a moment to realize who it was.

I sat up, giving Edwinna an irritated look and grumbling something rude under my breath.

"What was that?" She asked.

I said nothing, standing up and stretching. She gave me an annoyed look and walked off. I put my armor and robe back on, then turned to Schimmel, who was still standing in the doorway. "That woman is psychotic... oh well, you ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah, but..." Schimmel mumbled.

"But... what?"

"Nothing, nevermind. Time to raid that tomb!" Schimmel said, walking out the door and down the hall before I could say anything.

I shrugged, making sure I had everything before making my way to the guild lobby. Schimmel was on the other side of the room, talking with Edwinna. I opened the door outside, there was sand piled against the buildings, blocking some of the doors.

"One of the worst blight storms we've ever had. You're lucky you arrived in town when you did, any later and you could have had a lot of problems." A voice said behind me. I turned and saw the Dunmer woman from earlier looking out the door.

"Looks like it was... glad it's over now." I said, looking at the countless sand drifts covering the town.

"Finding the tomb after this may be more difficult. That's why I'll be coming with you." She said, lifting a small bag off the nearby table onto her shoulder.

"What? It's going to be dangerous in there. I don't want to put anyone uninvolved at risk."

She chuckled a bit, smiling at me. "You don't need to worry, I've learned a few more spells since my last trip. Besides, I'm only taking you to the entrance. After that I'm coming straight back to the Mages' Guild."

"Oh... good. Well, we should get going. Schimmel, move it!" I yelled, walking out the door.

The Dunmer woman followed me, Schimmel close behind her.

"Schimmel, Trelana, be careful out there! Don't let Nem hurt himself!" Edwinna called out from the doorway with a laugh as we walked away.

I started to create a shockball in my left hand, trying to suppress the urge to turn and throw it at Edwinna. Trelana must have noticed the energy building up and grabbed my left arm, turning back to Edwinna and shouting. "Don't worry! We'll take care of him!"

I heard the door of the guild shut and the spell faded from my hand. I don't know what it was about that woman that always got on my nerves. I glanced down at Trelana, who was still latched onto my arm. "You can let go now."

"Oh, sorry." She mumbled, quickly releasing my arm and taking a couple steps away.

I glanced over at Schimmel, who was looking off in the other direction. I found myself wondering what Edwinna had been telling him, but did my best to brush it out of my mind. Our focus right now should be finding the tomb.

We wandered the hills for over two hours, on the road, what little could be seen of it anyway, and off. Countless cliff racers attacked us in our search, we were able to slay them easily enough, but using magic so much was tiring, and I was running low on arrows. By the time we found the tomb I was down to three arrows out of two dozen and I barely had the energy to conjure a shockball. Schimmel was clearly out of breath, but hardly wounded, his natural agility and the increase he got from one of the spells he learned at the guild got him through almost every encounter unscathed. Trelana was probably in the best shape of all of us, she was able to paralyze anything that got near her and break it's neck with one or two swings of her staff.

The stone door to the tomb was half covered by sand, after digging our way in we found it was exactly as Trelana had described. A short staircase down, a split with a dead end in each direction, and markings at the tunnel's ends. We rested for a while, Schimmel and Trelana sat by the wall chatting while I read though the symbols on the wall, trying to remember what some of them meant. My thoughts were pulled away from the symbols as I heard my name mentioned in the nearby conversation.

"Did Nem ever tell you why he and Edwinna are at each other's throats half the time?" Trelana asked Schimmel in a hushed voice. It didn't matter how softly she spoke, the echo of this tomb magnified every little sound.

"No, why?" Schimmel muttered.

"Oh... I thought maybe you knew. They've been that way for as long as I can remember... nobody else seems to know either. I wonder if they even know why." Trelana mumbled, leaning against the wall.

"It's one of life's mysteries. If you want to know why, ask Edwinna, I honestly haven't a clue." I said, turning my focus back to the symbols.

"Sorry... I just..." Trelana stuttered, embarrassed about being overheard.

"I'm sure it's one of the many rumors that circle the Mages' Guild, why we fight constantly. Who knows what idiotic ideas some have come up with." I said, staring at the markings on the wall.

"So... how's that coming?" Schimmel asked.

"I think I have it..." I reached up, touching one of the symbols. It began to glow. I touched a couple more and they began to shine as well, followed shortly by the other symbols and then the entire wall. When the light faded a stone archway stood were the symbols used to be.

I turned back to Schimmel and Trelana, grinning. "The other one should be open as well. Time for a little ex... eh?" a foul smell was coming from the archway. Before I could even react I felt a surge of pain through my body as something stuck my back. I fell to my knees and things began to get blurry. Schimmel and Trelana were on their feet, but a red blast of energy flew past my head, striking Schimmel in the chest as he drew his sword. Another surge of pain went through my body. I heard Trelana scream, and then blacked out.


	11. Separate Ways

**Chapter 11: Separate Ways**

There was a throbbing pain in my head, along with the rest of my body. I slowly opened my eyes, a blurry figure was sitting nearby. My eyes began to focus, it was Schimmel. He was leaning against the wall, out of breath and holding his left shoulder, but I didn't see any blood.

Schimmel glanced down at me and grinned. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"I can't move... and my body is sore... but other than that, yeah I'm fine." I said, trying to move my arms.

"Well that's good. Better than not being able to feel anything." Schimmel chuckled.

I tried moving again, despite the pain. I was able to roll onto my back, being facedown on a cold stone floor was not comfortable. "What hit me, a dozen drunk Nords?"

"No... a bonewalker." Schimmel said, wiping the blood off his sword.

"I see... wait, where's Trelana?" I asked, just now realizing she was missing.

"She's resting over in the corner... exhausted. When the bonewalker attacked she panicked, throwing a ton of ice magic at it, even after it was laying dead on the ground. Then she used what little energy she had left to heal us."

"Trelana... that's right..."

"What?"

"I remember now... for a while I couldn't remember who she was, the face was familiar, but that's it. After hearing her name it slowly came back to me. We helped each other out a lot when I was staying at the Ald-Ruhn Mages' Guild. She told me that one of her biggest fears was bonewalkers... no wonder she freaked out." I mumbled.

Schimmel stood up, looking down the passage the bonewalker had come from. "It's too dark down there, I can't see a thing."

I slowly got to my feet, still a bit sore. "I didn't think to bring a torch... planning ahead isn't my strong point."

"Luckily I have more common sense than both of you." Trelana said, looking over at us. "I borrowed these from my friend, catch." she tossed a glowing ring at me, and then at Schimmel.

I stared at it for a moment before slipping it on my finger. My eyes tingled for a moment, and everything seemed to get lighter. I could see down the tunnel easily.

"What are these?" Schimmel asked, putting his on.

"Night Eye enchanted rings... better than any torch." Trelana said, leaning against the wall. "I'll be waiting here... I need... more rest." she mumbled, leaning against the wall.

"Okay, we'll be back soon." I said, turning toward the tunnel. "I'll take this one, you get the other."

Schimmel nodded and walked down the other tunnel, a path had appeared there as well.

I glanced back at Trelana, who was already asleep, before walking down the tunnel. I just had a bad feeling about leaving her there. The tunnel went on for a while and then stopped at a dead end. I looked around for a switch, or even a few symbols, but there was nothing to be found. I was about to turn back when I heard a crash. A stone wall had dropped behind me, blocking the way out. All I could do now, was wait for something to happen.

Schimmel walked cautiously down the tunnel, keeping his hand on the hilt of his katana. The tunnel soon came to an end. There was a lever of some sort on the wall. As he approached it there was a loud noise as a wall came crashing down behind him. He had no choice but to pull the lever in front of him. He pulled it down and heard a click. Nothing seemed to happen. He pushed it back up, still nothing. Schimmel began to flip the switch from one position to the other rapidly, wondering if it was broken.

I watched in amazement and confusion as the wall leading deeper into the tomb rose and dropped repeatedly. I wondered if this was some kind of test, if I had to jump through at just the right time, but the movement was so erratic I'd probably get squished in the attempt. After a while it finally stopped moving and remained open. I waited for a moment before running through. The passage continued for a while until I found a small pedestal with three raised stone slabs upon it, each had a different picture. A sun, a moon, and a star. Something was written just above them, it appeared to be a riddle. After reading it I discovered I could only press one of the switches, one opened the door for Schimmel, another would kill him, the third would kill me.

Schimmel gave up on the lever, leaving it in the down position. He paced the small area he was trapped in, getting a bit impatient. He sat on the floor, staring at the wall. After two minutes he reached into the small pouch on his belt and removed some jerky he had been saving. He chewed on it, waiting for something to happen.

I took a deep breath, hoping I had figured out the riddle. I put my hand on the star slab and pressed down hard. I flinched as I heard a click, half expecting something to happen to me. A moment passed, but I heard nothing. Whatever happened, happened to Schimmel. What I couldn't stand was not knowing if I had opened the door or killed him.

Schimmel sighed, laying on the stone floor. There was a click and a grinding noise, he looked up to see what was happening and saw the wall rising. He leapt to his feet and began walking down the passage, still chewing on a bit of jerky. More clicking sounds were coming from up ahead, he soon found what was making them. Over a dozen spears were popping in and out of the walls, ready to impale anyone foolish enough to go any further. There was another switch on the wall just past the spears. The way back was still blocked, so he knew his only choice was to press on.

Schimmel watched the spears carefully, trying to figure out the pattern so he could get though. After a couple minutes he got ready to run, casting a spell that made him faster, he needed all the speed he could get for something like this. He charged into the spears, easily dodging some of them while narrowly avoiding others. He got close to the end and they began to get closer together. When he was less than a foot from escape, one of the stone tiles beneath his feet shifted. All the spears went into walls simultaneously, and Schimmel leapt forward as they all thrust outward, each one striking the opposite wall. One of them managed to slice his leg during his final leap, but as he looked back he knew it could have been much worse. After healing his leg, Schimmel pulled the switch, and all the spears returned to their original walls.

I was huddled on the floor, worried and going over the riddle in my mind again and again. Almost convinced that I had pushed the wrong button and killed Schimmel. I was brought to my senses as the wall slid to the side, revealing the passage deeper into the tomb. I stood up, relieved that Schimmel was still alive, if I had killed him I'd be trapped in here. I hurried down the hall, wondering what the next trap would be. I slowed down when I was at the end of the tunnel. There was a switch on the wall, but no visible traps. I walked slowly forward, waiting for something to happen. I stepped in front of the switch, thinking it was too easy as I pushed down on it. After the click I heard a strange sound, I looked back the way I came and saw thin streams of water coming from small holes that led all the way back to the other door. The hall was going to fill with water if Schimmel didn't hurry.

Schimmel looked up as the door slid aside, and stepped through. He wasn't sure what to think after seeing what was ahead. It was a short passage compared to all the others, and there were levers lining each of the walls. He walked to the end and saw a large orange switch by the doorway leading deeper in. He pressed the switch, but as soon as he took his hand off, it slid back out. He turned back to the levers along the wall and shrugged, there was no writing on the walls to tell him what to do, so he began pulling them down one by one. By the time he got halfway back down one side of the wall the first one he pulled popped back up, followed by the second, and third, until the one he still had his hand on flipped up, flinging it off. He pushed it back down and waited, it soon flipped back up. He did it again, this time timing how long it took before it switched back.

After timing it, he walked back to the door he entered and stood in the center of the hall, facing the levers. He stretched for a moment and got ready to run, making sure he could reach both walls. He charged down the hall, flipping the levers as he passed by them. He skidded to a halt just before crashing into the wall and glanced back, all the levers were down.

The water had risen to my shoulders and I was beginning to lose hope. I heard a click and the door leading further in began to move. The water rushed through the opening doorway, dragging me with it. I was pulled all the way to the other end of the new path, and my back struck something sticking out of the wall. The next door began to open and the remaining water drained out. I slowly stood up and stumbled out the door, looking around. I had come to a large room, there was a path leading to the right and another straight ahead. I heard a faint sound coming from the right path, it sounded like footsteps. I readied my bow and took aim at the path, wondering if it was another bonewalker.

Schimmel stared at the orange switch, pressing it repeatedly. He tried holding it down, and heard a click. The door creaked open and Schimmel continued deeper into the tomb, beginning to think there was no end. The path turned left, and he saw light coming from up ahead. He walked cautiously toward the light, his hand on the hilt of his katana. The second he stepped out of the hall an arrow whizzed past his head, striking the wall. He leapt back and heard someone yell.

"Oh crap!" I dashed over an looked down the path, Schimmel was standing there a bit shaken from the sudden attack. "Schimmel, are you all right? I'm really sorry about that, I thought you were a monster..."

Schimmel gave me an irritated look. "Next time know what you're shooting at before you let go of the bowstring! Jeez..." he said, beginning to walk past me when he noticed my robe was waterlogged. "What happened to you?"

"Riddles, floods, nothing much." I looked down at his torn pant leg. "What about you?"

"Switches, spears and lots of running."

"I hope we're almost out of here..." I sighed, walking toward the path deeper into the tomb.

We walked down an all too similar passage for a while, before arriving at another large room. There were symbols on the opposite wall, along with a lever and stone door. I walked over and began to read the symbols while Schimmel leaned against the door. After reading the warning I was a bit confused.

"To continue alive you must see through the eyes of a necromancer...?" I mumbled, reading it aloud.

Schimmel gave me a confused look. "What?"

I shrugged, "That's what it says." I pulled the lever, and the room started to shake. The floor began to collapse and the door opened. I ran over, but stopped after seeing what was ahead. There was a golden staff mounted on the wall. I looked back at the crumbling floor as the chunks of rock plummeted into darkness. Schimmel ran forward through the doorway, but I quickly grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him backwards as hard as I could. He stumbled backwards a few steps and tripped, knocking both of us down into the hole created by the destroyed floor.


	12. The Necromancer's Staff

**Chapter 12: The Necromancer's Staff**

I groaned, unsteadily getting to my feet. Schimmel was laying on the ground nearby, still unconscious from the fall. My body ached, falling down a hole and then tumbling down a rocky slope was not an enjoyable experience. I'm sure Schimmel would feel the same once he came around, he had landed on his head, but I doubted a small head wound would do much to his personality. I limped over to another sudden drop, we appeared to be on a cliff. A glowing red light came from below us, along with a blistering heat. We were above a massive lake of magma, stones burnt into walkways arched a few feet above it. They led to two small platforms, one to the right, another to the left. A faint glitter came from each one, but I couldn't tell what they were.

"Ohhh... my head..." Schimmel moaned, finally waking up.

I didn't bother to look back, "Still alive? Good, because I think this mission is about over."

"What are you talking about, and why did you pull me backwards like that?" Schimmel asked, casting a healing spell on himself.

"Simple, because that wasn't the real staff, it was a trap."

"What made you think that?"

"The riddle before the passageway, and the fact that things are never that easy."

"You could have just said something to me, you didn't have to grab me like that."

"The trap could have gone off and killed you before I could say anything. Besides, I've already almost killed you twice today, I'd rather not get it right the third time."

"Twice…? Once with the arrow, but what was the other time?" Schimmel asked.

I slapped my hand over my mouth, speaking before I think always causes trouble. I decided to change the subject. "That should be the staff down there. Let's get it and get out of here." I said, walking slowly down a path off the cliff and leading to the left platform. "I'll take this way again."

Schimmel shook his head, standing up and stumbling over to the pathway down on the right. "I expect you to tell me what you meant later."

"Sure, sure." I mumbled, hoping he would forget about it.

I healed myself before carefully walking along the narrow stone bridge leading to the platform. If I wanted to, I could have seen Schimmel and whatever it was I was attempting to get clearly. However, my eyes were focused on my feet, taking one wrong step would mean a very painful death. It began to widen as I approached the object I saw shimmering from atop the cliff. I bent down and picked it up, it was a silver staff, but it seemed to be broken in half. Schimmel shouted to me from the other platform, holding up something that looked very similar to what I had found.

I noticed another narrow rock formation connecting the platforms we were on, and Schimmel had already begun to cross it. I quickly followed suit, walking along toward him hoping we could figure out if this was the real staff or not. We met at the middle where the path was a little wider, and each held up the part of the staff we had found. After inspecting them a bit closer we realized they fit together. There was a snap as the two halves locked together, and the staff began to glow until the light it emitted was blinding. When it faded, Schimmel and I were no longer in the cavern, we had been teleported back to the entrance of the tomb.

"That... was interesting..." I said, releasing the staff and sitting on the floor.

"I'm glad we're out of the cave, that heat was starting to get to me." Schimmel said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Maybe you should wear something other than black when you come to places like this." I chuckled, closing my eyes and trying to relax.

Schimmel didn't answer, he seemed to be looking around for something. "It feels like we're forgetting something... maybe it's just me."

"Forgetting something?" I muttered, looking around as well. I couldn't think of anything for a few moments, then it hit me. "Oh crap!" I leapt to my feet. "Trelana!"

We both searched the area, but the way deeper into the tomb was still sealed, so she couldn't have gone in after us.

"Maybe she went back to the Mages' Guild?" Schimmel wondered.

"No... she said she was going to wait here..." I said, getting worried. "Her word is more reliable than anyone's. Something must have happened. Come on!" I ran up the staircase, Schimmel yelled something behind me as he tripped over one of the steps trying to keep up.

I flung open the door and charged out, but quickly skidded to a halt at what I saw. Three soldiers in bonemold armor were standing just ahead, their swords drawn and aiming at me. A fourth was standing behind them, holding a dagger to Trelana's throat. A cruel laugh came from behind me, I turned around and saw a well dressed Altmer standing on the hill the tomb was built into.

"Welcome back from your trip. I trust you have found the staff I have been seeking?" he said with a grin.

"You've been...?" I thought back to my previous missions and remembered something I had heard during one of them. "You're the one... the wannabe necromancer Harnaten."

"Wannabe... why you... do you want her to die?!" Harnaten shouted, raising his hand.

I looked back at Trelana, the soldier had tightened his grip on her and could slit her throat in one swift movement. "Crap. You hurt her and you'll regret it..."

"Where is the staff?!" Harnaten shouted.

I glanced back at the tomb, Schimmel still hadn't come out. Either he saw what was outside and decided to wait for a good chance to attack or he had knocked himself out on the stairs. "It's in there."

One of the soldiers ran past me into the tomb. A moment later there was a scream and the clatter of armor. Schimmel stepped out of the tomb, the staff in one hand and a bloody katana in the other.

"Well that evens things out." I said with a laugh. "Now we can take these idiots easily, right Trelana?"

Trelana smirked, hitting the soldier that was holding her with a paralyzing spell. She grabbed the dagger against her neck and easily pulled it from the soldier's hand. "Taking a girl hostage is as low as you can get, jerk!" Trelana shouted, turning and stabbing him through one of the holes in his helmet.

The other two turned to attack Trelana. I hurled a shockball at the one on the left, while Schimmel dashed up and impaled his katana into the other. I pulled the bow from my robe and quickly shot an arrow at Harnaten, as Schimmel finished off the soldier my spell had hit. Harnaten moved backwards as the arrow whizzed past his head.

"You guys really need to recruit people that can put up a fight. Peons like this are just boring. You're no better are you?" I taunted.

"You'll all pay for this. Especially you!" Harnaten yelled, pointing at Schimmel. He then held up a scroll and vanished in a flash of light.

Schimmel scratched his head, obviously confused. "Me? What did I do?"

I shrugged, and walked over to Trelana. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks." she mumbled.

"Good. We should get back to the guild now. I've had enough excitement for one day."

We walked back to Ald-Ruhn, and parted with Trelana outside of the Mages' Guild after giving her back the Night Eye rings. Schimmel and I continued to the silt strider and headed back to Suran. After a long trip Suran finally came into view, but something seemed different. I stared at the guild headquarters and realized what was strange. I tapped Schimmel on the shoulder, who was sitting down and still trying to figure out what Harnaten had against him. He got up and looked to where I was pointing.

"What the..." Schimmel muttered.

"Hell is that?" I mumbled, finishing his sentence.


	13. Suran Surprises

**Chapter 13: Suran Surprises**

A large building had been built just outside the guild's headquarters. Schimmel and I dismounted the silt strider and hurried through town to see what had been added to the guild. Parven was standing just outside the building, staring at it and smiling. He heard us running toward him and waved.

"Welcome back you two!" Parven said.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Business before pleasure, Nem. Did you two manage to get the staff?"

"Yeah, it's right here." Schimmel said, handing him the staff.

"Okay, that's done. Now will you tell us what this place is?" I said impatiently, gesturing to the building.

"It's our new bar!" Parven said, smiling again.

"New bar...?" Schimmel mumbled.

"It wasn't my idea, I was fine going to the other one. Of course, this one is much quieter. It's for guild members only, which means you can finally meet some other members. Thanks to one person's efforts, the guild will soon get larger. Well done Nem!"

I stared at him blankly for a moment. "Uh... me? Are you drunk or something?"

"Not at all! Well, maybe a bit." Parven chortled. "It was you who introduced us after all!"

I scratched my head, wondering what he was babbling about. I heard the faint clunk of armor as someone stepped around the corner of the bar.

"Well speak of the devil, here he is now!" Parven said.

"Nem, Schimmel! Back at last guys? Have you seen the place yet?" someone said.

A person wearing Imperial chainmail was standing there grinning. "...Bryenn?" I mumbled.

"What's that look for?" Bryenn asked.

"Well... when you stormed off before I figured you had gone back to Gnisis to join the Imperial Legion." I said, a bit confused.

"I was thinking about doing that, but I went to have a talk with Parven here first. He convinced me to do this instead. What was at the other place was just so... so..."

"Incongruous?"

"Right! Wait... what?"

I laughed and looked over at Schimmel, who appeared to be just as clueless. I walked past Bryenn, "Don't hurt yourself trying to figure it out. I want to see what this place is like, coming Schimmel?"

"Yeah." Schimmel said, quickly following me with Bryenn close behind.

I opened the door to the bar and was greeted by what appeared to be any average drinking establishment. A Bosmer was sitting in the corner, playing a lute with a few people sitting nearby and enjoying the music. A Nord and an Orc were sitting at a table near the door, arm wrestling with no clear winner. An Argonian was standing behind the counter, chatting with a Redguard who seemed to be a little off balance. A hooded person was sitting at the end of the counter, leaning against the wall and singing loudly.

"Seems like any other bar to me." I muttered, walking up to the bar and ordering a drink.

"Nothing here is in bad taste though, unlike the other place." Bryenn said, sitting down next to me.

"You're obviously not paying attention to what that guy is singing about then." I said, pointing to the hooded drunk.

Bryenn listened to the drunk's song for a moment and was a bit shocked by what he heard. He quickly went over and attempted to shut him up.

I laughed and looked around for Schimmel, who had stopped to chat with an Imperial by the door. Parven had sat down at a table in the corner, talking to a rather large group of people. They appeared to be equipped for a war.

Bryenn returned after a moment. The drunk was now on the ground, not moving.

"Uh... what did you do to him?" I asked.

"Nothing, before I could say anything he belched in my face and passed out." Bryenn grumbled.

I chuckled and looked around the bar again, just now realizing something strange. "Bryenn... Schimmel and I were gone for only five days, how did you build this place so quickly?"

"It wasn't that difficult, we got all the materials in about two days. After that, Parven got everyone not on a mission to help. This guild has more people than I imagined, it was surprising to see so many members after seeing how small the main building is."

"Yeah... so are all these people members?" I asked, continuing to look around the bar.

"Of course, I only know a few of them though. The Bosmer in the corner is called Fargoth, he's a wandering bard from Seyda Neen. The Imperial with the spear on his back is Harvey, dunno where he's from but he seems like a nice guy. The only other person I recognize is the Breton Schimmel's talking to, her name's Ruby."

"All these people and you only know those three?"

"I know six people here if you count you, Schimmel and Par... huh? Where'd Parven go?" Bryenn asked, looking at the large table in the southwest corner.

Parven, and the small army I saw him talking to earlier had vanished. Bryenn shrugged it off and turned his attention elsewhere, but I began to wonder what that group had been talking about.

The many ideas running through my mind were interrupted by Bryenn. "Nem... Nem? You okay?" he asked.

"Oh... yeah, I'm fine." I mumbled, turning back to my drink.

"You looked a bit odd... you sure you're all right?"

"I was just thinking about something... nothing important."

Time passed by faster than it seemed. I spent most of my time talking with Bryenn and Schimmel, but also met the other people Bryenn had pointed out earlier. Others came and left, and before I knew it, it was after midnight. I left the bar and went into the Guild building, I stopped outside one of the doors and listened to the snoring coming from behind it. The last time I stayed here there were only four bunk beds, by the snoring it sounded like a dozen people were in there already. I slowly opened the door and saw the sleeping quarters had been expanded as well, there were now eight bunk beds, four along each wall. I found an empty one in the far corner and climbed into the top bunk as quietly as I could, drifting off to sleep within seconds.

A loud crash echoed in the small room. I nearly jumped out of bed, hitting my head on the low ceiling. I groaned at the pain, ready to beat the crap out of whoever woke me up. It seems I wasn't alone in that thought. Three other guild members, who had probably been sleeping soundly before the crash, were sitting up and glaring at a rather embarrassed Nord. The Nord picked up a suit of armor laying at his feet and placed it in a chest by one of the beds, quickly apologizing to the people that woke up. I sighed, climbing down from the bunk and leaving the room.

"Idiot..." I muttered to myself. "I'm wide awake now... and my head is killing me..." I opened the door outside, going to see if that new pub had anything strong enough to kill my senses for a while. I never even made it out the door, before I could set foot outside Parven grabbed my shoulder and pulled me toward his office.

"Nem, just the lad I need!" Parven said, opening his office door and leading me inside.

"What do you want? I'm not in the best of moods at the moment." I said coldly.

"Straight to the point, excellent! It seems a thief has been bothering the people of Raven Rock up in Solstheim. I have reason to believe this thief is a member of the ASP. I want you to find, question, and if you have to, kill the thief before the imperial guards there capture him."

"You make these missions sound so simple, and yet I've probably come close to dying once on every mission I've been on! How about a bonus for this one?"

"All right, how about a crash course in fire magicka once you return?"

I wasn't sure what to say, I was a bit shocked so I said the only thing I could think of. "Uh... okay... thanks." I walked out the door, wondering why he agreed to it so easily.

"Best of luck, be sure to get some warm clothes, it's cold up there!" Parven shouted behind me as I shut the door.

I shrugged, walking outside and taking a deep breath of fresh air. "Another day, another idiotic mission..." I sighed, slowly walking into town. I stopped by a store on the way to the Silt Strider and purchased a book called "The Frozen North: An Imperial Territory. The traveler's guide to Solstheim." I flipped through the pages as I approached the Silt Strider. "Werewolves, Nords and freezing temperatures... sounds like a dream vacation." I said sarcastically.


	14. The Frozen North

**Chapter 14: The Frozen North**

I laid on the deck of the ship, continuing to read the book about Solstheim. A ship from Khuul was the only way to get there from Vvardenfell, unless you were daft enough to try swimming that far. I yawned and got to my feet, wondering how much longer it would be until we arrived. I heard someone yell, and looked across the ocean. There was land appearing over the horizon, and a large fort could be seen along the coastline. That was Fort Frostmoth, the Imperial fortress on the island. The main city, if you could call it that, was Raven Rock, a rather small settlement in the southwest part of Solstheim. The expansive ebony mine located there was the main source of income for it's residents, which of course, were mostly miners. The thief had been stealing ebony, which seems to be a big deal to most people, I couldn't have cared less about it. The ship docked at Fort Frostmoth, and I stepped back onto solid ground.

I walked into the fort, Imperial Soldiers were everywhere, but I suppose that was to be expected. Guarding the entrances, wandering around the huge courtyard, bowmen perched atop the lookout towers. I asked around about the thief in Raven Rock, none of them had much to say about it, but I did learn a bit about the fortress I was in. I made a beeline for the armory, hoping they would sell me a few arrows. I had wasted a few as the ship I was on left Khuul, shooting at slaughterfish that swim near the boat, they had tormented me plenty of times, I figured it was my turn to have a little fun. I bought two dozen arrows and a slightly larger quiver from the shop, they seemed to have a bit more than they needed for some reason. I thanked the soldier minding the armory and began walking back to the docks.

A shrill cry echoed in my ears. I turned toward the main gate of the fortress and wasn't sure what I was seeing at first. Over a dozen Nords had charged though the gate and began attacking the soldiers. It wouldn't have been that confusing normally, but I just couldn't understand one thing. All of them, male and female alike, were charging in wearing nothing but underwear, one or two wore boots or a helmet, but never anything more than that. I watched as the soldiers and Nords battled, wondering if I should help, walk away, or if someone had drugged the bottle of Flin I drank on the way up here. I continued to stand there, watching the battle like a complete idiot as the last Nord was cut down. As one of the soldiers in the battle walked by I came to my senses.

"Ah... excuse me!" I said, still a bit dumbfounded.

The soldier, a young Imperial I had spoken to earlier, turned back to me. "Yes?"

"What... what the hell was that?" I blurted out, gesturing to the half-naked Nord corpses.

"Those are berserkers, Nords that have gone a bit... crazy. It's unusual though, they never used to bother us much, or be so organized, they've even attacked Raven Rock a couple times."

"You think someone's leading them?" I asked, a bit curious.

"I don't see how anyone could lead a group like them, but I suppose it would explain a few things." he shrugged. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

"Of course... sorry to bother you." I said, walking off to the dock.

I stepped onto a small boat that was bound for Raven Rock, and began looking through the guidebook again. As the boat left the dock I found the chapter on berserkers. There wasn't much information about them, but it was clear that they were never known to attack in large groups like what I had witnessed at Fort Frostmoth. Before I knew it, the boat had stopped outside Raven Rock. I made my way from the boat to the tavern, staring at the snow covering the ground. After a short inquiry, and drink, at the tavern, I learned a bit about the thief.

I entered the ebony mine, reading what little information I had about the thief. Tall, probably a Nord. Wears black, of course, what thief wouldn't? And only shows up at night. I wondered why I bothered to stop for such common information. I walked deeper into the mine, the sound of picks against ore echoing through the tunnels. I soon found the store room, plenty of ore was kept here, and the security had been greatly increased after the last few robberies. I waited until nobody was looking, and stepped into the shadows across from the entrance to the store room. I sat on the ground and waited, it wasn't the best plan, but watching for anyone suspicious was the only thing I could think of.

Time seemed to stand still in the dim tunnels. I yawned, beginning to wonder if it was a waste of time just sitting around. Then something caught my eye, I thought I saw something moving, but there was nothing to see. I stared at that one spot, confused. It looked like there was something standing inside the store room, but not plainly visible, it was like when steam or smoke distorted an image. That's when it hit me, I was looking right at the thief! I got up and dashed out of the shadows toward the store room, the two guards outside it yelled for me to stop, and grabbed me before I was able to make it in.

"Crap! Let go!" I shouted, struggling as each one gripped my arms.

"Not a chance, you must be that thief! You're coming with us!" One of them shouted.

As they began to drag me away I could faintly see the thief walking out of the store room and back into the tunnels. "Idiots!" I shouted, sending a jolt of lightning into each of them until their grip loosened enough for me to escape. I charged at the thief, from the guards point of view it must have looked like I was trying to flee, and then tripped over my own feet as I came crashing to the ground after ramming the invisible thief. After I struck the thief his illusion ceased, and everyone could see the worried looking Nord on the ground.

"There's the thief... now then, I have a few questions for you." I said, standing up and wiping the dirt from my robe.

Before I could say anything else the Nord turned and charged down the tunnel deeper into the mines.

"Damn it... why do they always have to run?" I shouted, running after him.

I chased the Nord through the mine, almost losing him a few times. I was about to give up when he came sliding to a stop, the tunnel he had entered came to a dead end. I stopped a few feet from the only exit, panting.

"Was that really needed? I only need to ask you a couple things... geez." I said, still out of breath.

"You're not here to capture me?" he asked.

"No, just tell me, are you part of the ASP?" I asked, crossing my arms so I could easily reach my dagger if he was.

"The ASP? Are you stupid? Those guys are jerks!" he yelled.

"You know of them?"

"I met some of them up north, back when I still lived in Thrisk. It was near Lake Fjalding. We had a misunderstanding, one hell of an argument, and then I had to slaughter them."

"I bet ASP didn't like that..."

"No, they tried to have me killed a couple days later, and then a few more times after that. Eventually I just left Thrisk to get some peace. As you can see I haven't gotten any. I only stole ebony from here so I could buy a new place on Vvardenfell."

"Hmm..." I thought things through for a moment, and heard faint footsteps echoing from the tunnel behind me. "The guards are coming... as I see it you have two choices. I leave, and you try your luck with them, or I help you escape, and in return you come with me to Suran. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

The Nord didn't answer, he seemed to be thinking it over.

"There he is!" One of the guards shouted from the tunnel's entrance.

I turned back to see almost a dozen people crowding the only way out, each looked ready for combat. "Last chance."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" he said, a bit irritated.

"True. Here you go." I reached into my robe and removed two scrolls, tossing one to the Nord. "See you there." I muttered the spell on the scroll and was engulfed in a blinding light. A moment later I was standing outside the temple in Gnisis.

There was another flash of light beside me, and the Nord from the mines appeared. "Ow... what was that?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Intervention scrolls, a much needed item when traveling. A shame I always seem to forget about them." I chuckled.

"Interesting. So... you wanted me to go to some place called... what was it, Suntan?"

"No, no, no... Suran! Come on, I'll explain on the way." I said, walking toward the Silt Strider.

The Nord took a few steps forward and stopped, staring at the silt strider. "What the hell is that?!" he exclaimed.

"What?"

"That giant bug looking thing!"

"The silt strider? It's our transport, haven't you seen one before?"

"I've never even left Solstheim. they don't have things like that there!"

I sighed, getting a bit annoyed. "Then you can enjoy a few new experiences. Now hurry up, I want to get back."

"Okay..." he followed behind, a bit cautious of the silt strider. "Hey..."

"What now?" I grumbled, getting ready to throw something at him.

"You never introduced yourself, what's your name?"

"Nem... Nem Orian."

"Nice to meet you, I guess... my name's Barbarius."


	15. Four Companions

Chapter 15: Four Companions

I was half asleep, waiting for the silt strider to arrive in Suran. Barbarius however, was far from tired. He had been looking at anything and everything that the strider passed by. He almost fell out on more that one occasion, and I felt the urge to push him every time. He reminded me of the people that came to High Rock when I lived there, stupid tourists... I couldn't stand them. When we arrived at Suran it was after midnight, and I was practically asleep on my feet. I stumbled down the stairs leading from the strider, making my way through town with Barbarius at my heels. We entered the guild and I went straight to the sleeping area. I was too tired to even notice it had been expanded again, or that there was now a sign that read "barracks" mounted on the door.

"The guy I want you to talk to is called Parven. You can meet with him in the morning, for now we should just get some sleep. The bar's probably still open if you're not tired." I whispered to Barbarius so I wouldn't wake up anyone else in the room.

He nodded and left, probably for the bar. I shrugged and walked toward the back, glancing at the people I passed by that were snoring peacefully. Most of them I didn't know, the only people I recognized were Schimmel and Harvey. I plopped into a bed in the far corner of the room, falling asleep without even bothering to remove my robe or shoes.

"Oh crap... help... help! AHH!!!" I screamed, landing on the floor with a crash. I looked around, shaken and confused. I was still in the barracks, and the other guild members that had been sleeping were now sitting up and glaring at me. I scratched my head, feeling embarrassed, the nightmare I had been having still fresh in my memory. Being nibbled to death by cliff racers... I can't even escape the damn things in my sleep. I quickly got up, hurrying out the door before the other members decided to make my dream a reality.

I left the guild's headquarters and turned to the tavern. A new sign was hanging outside of the door. It depicted a large sword, the blade of which was surrounded by blue fire. "The Blue Flame Tavern" was written next to it. I wasn't sure what to make of it, so I simply shrugged it off and entered the tavern.

Before I could even close the door, someone shouted my name. Bryenn was sitting at a table with Schimmel, Fargoth, and a black-haired Nord it took me a moment to remember was Barbarius. I ordered a drink and joined them, already wondering what kind of daft mission Parven would have for me today.

"Morning..." I mumbled sleepily.

"Morning? It's almost noon!" Fargoth said, tightening the strings on his lute.

"The key word being almost, meaning it's still technically morning. Even if only by an hour." I muttered. I may have been half asleep, but that didn't prevent me from being a smartass... if anything it loosened my tounge more than liquor.

"I suppose so."

"So, what does everyone have planned for today?" Bryenn asked.

"Nothin', Parven didn't have any missions for me." Barbarius grumbled.

"I take it you talked to Parven and decided to join us, then?" I asked, taking a sip of the tea I ordered.

"Yeah, too bad I joined when it was so slow. I wanted to see more of this place!" Barbarius said enthusiastically.

"There's not much to see, really." I chuckled, recalling my first few days on Vvardenfell. I wasn't much different, really. "All right, since we don't have missions for a while, we should take the chance to have a little vacation. I still haven't gotten a Dwemer tube for that psycho Edwinna. What about the rest of you?"

None of them answered straight away, each taking time to mull it over. Schimmel was the first to speak. "I could go back to Pelagiad for a visit. I haven't been there for a while."

"I guess I could wander around for a few days, see what I can find." Barbarius thought aloud.

"I wouldn't know what to do, nothing comes to mind." Fargoth muttered.

We all looked at Bryenn, waiting for him to speak. A grin grew across him face. "I've got an idea, why don't we all go somewhere together? We could... uh..."

"Go adventuring?" Schimmel suggested.

"Treasure hunting would be fun." Barbarius recommended.

"We could go somewhere new. The same old scenery gets boring after a while." Fargoth added.

"I know..." I said, remembering something I had heard a long time ago. "We could do all three at once."

"You have something in mind, Nem?" Bryenn asked.

"Yeah, an old story. I heard it shortly after arriving on Vvardenfell. There's supposed to be a small island in the Sea of Ghosts, where some pirate stashed his treasure. I don't recall the name of the island..."

"Oh, I know that old legend. There's supposed to be a mountain of treasure hidden on it. People have been looking for it on and off for years. If it was real, someone would have found it by now." Fargoth said, not giving it a second thought.

"That doesn't mean it's not out there. If it is, there's a fortune to be had. And even if we find nothing, it'll be something different. It seems like all I've been doing lately is killing things, I'd like to try something a little less bloody." I argued.

"He has a point. All I've been doing on my missions lately is fighting too." Schimmel said.

"You can go on your pointless trip if you want to, but count me out. I'm not fond of boats anyway." Fargoth said, getting up and walking off.

"Don't mind him." Someone said, walking up behind me. I turned to a Breton with long red hair and a serious expression. "He gets like that sometimes, especially when boats are involved."

"Any idea why, Ruby?" Bryenn asked.

"Not a clue." She replied, shaking her head. "Oh well, good luck on your journey. I'd ask to join you, but I have someone to take care of." She said simply, turning and walking out of the tavern.

Barbarius stared at her as she went, looking confused. "Uh... did she just say someONE to take care of?"

"Yeah, she's an assassin." Schimmel said.

"Her, an assassin?" I wondered."She sure doesn't look like one."

"So are we going to search for that island?" Bryenn inquired.

"I plan to, it's better than doing nothing... or another of Parven's insane missions." I said, finishing my drink.

"I'll come along, it sounds interesting." Schimmel said.

"It's not like I have anything better planned. Hell, even if I did, a mountain of gold at stake will avert my attention from almost anything." Barbarius chuckled.

With that, the four of us packed up what we thought we would need. After a brief stop for repairs and some last-minute travel necessities, we departed for Sadrith Mora. It was more difficult than expected to find a ship would take us on such a, as some captains put it, ludicrous mission. Eventually we found ourselves out of luck and wondering what to do next. We went into Dirty Muriel's Cornerclub eventually, it took a couple minutes to convince Bryenn that, despite the name, nothing remotely lewd was happening inside.

The four of us sat at the upstairs counter. Bryenn and Schimmel had water, Barbarius was favoring tea, and I was enjoying a bottle of Greef. I grumbled to myself about how spending time with them made me feel like an alcoholic, but I tried not to dwell on it.

Barbarius was the first to speak after we placed our orders. "So... what now?"

Schimmel scratched his head. "Well, we could do something else. It looks like nobody here is willing to take us."

"We could try renting a boat to take ourselves." I suggested. "I've never put it to practice, but boats have been an interest of mine for a long time. I read up on them whenever I have time to kill."

"That's an idea... I know the basics. You don't live on an island region like where Dagon Fel is without picking a few things up." Bryenn said, trying to recall what he had learned years ago.

"A tiny fishing boat is all I've ever been on." Barbarius mumbled.

"I've never even thought about how to use a boat." Schimmel muttered.

"We should have enough experience and knowledge between us to handle something small. And if we're lucky, we'll find that island!" I said.

"What island are you looking for?" The bartender asked as he wiped down part of the counter.

"Desano."

The bartender laughed. "Don't waste your time. People have looked for that island for years and found nothing."

"Don't be so hard on 'em." Someone off the the corner said. I turned to see an old Dunmer with long white hair drinking a bottle of shein. His clothed were frayed and the sleeves of his shirt roughly cut or torn off, revealing the long scar down his left arm. "I used to look for that island when I was younger... I may have given up on it existin', but others are welcome to try if they're crazy enough to."

"Would you be willing to take up out looking for it then?" I asked.

"I've nothin' else planned, so as long as you can pay... I suppose so."

We worked out a deal with the old captain, and before long we had set sail to find the island of Desano. I honestly didn't have much hope in finding it, I just found boats relaxing, and relaxation was a welcome break from fight after fight. I was sitting below deck, having a light snack after a couple hours of watching for any islands, when I must have nodded off. The next thing I knew I was knocked off my chair, and the ship was rocking violently. I unsteadily ran back to the deck, and was greeted by a blast of water as I opened the hatch. Somehow we had gotten into the middle of a storm.

I scanned the deck, trying to see where everyone else was through the thick darkness and whipping rain. Barbarius, Bryenn and Schimmel were each clinging onto the most secure parts of the ship they could reach, and the captian was nowhere in sight. I was trying to figure out what do to when the ship struck something beneath the waves, knocking me onto the deck. I heard someone scream and looked up just as Barbarius was thrown overboard from the impact. I stumbled over to the side of the ship, hoping he had been able to grab something before hitting the water. I never saw if he did. The last thing I remember is something hard striking the back of my head.


	16. Alien Shore

When I awoke, my head was throbbing and the rocking of the boat had stopped. I slowly opened my eyes, staring up at the sky and wondering what had hit me. A splash of water hit my feet and I quickly sat up, feeling slightly dizzy as I did. I was on a beach, the endless blue stretched out before me and no boats in sight. I unsteadily got to my feet and looked around. It looked like I was on an island, the top of a small mountain could be seen poking over the trees the surrounded it. Other than that, it appeared to be void of anything. People, animals... no sign of life anywhere. That's when I remembered.

"Barbarius!" I shouted, stumbling along the coast. "Schimmel! Bryenn!" I walked along the shore, looking for someone, anyone. Maybe even the- "Ship!" I yelled, spotting the ship we had been aboard washed halfway up onto the sand. There was a rather large hole in the lower hull, but other than that it seemed to be in good condition considering what it had gone though.

I climbed in through the hole and found nobody in the lower areas. The deck was deserted as well. Either everyone was washed overboard in the storm, or anyone that was left had gone out to explore the island. I sat down on the stairs leading up to the deck to rest. Anyone else that made it would probably come to search the ship as well.

I looked around the hold. Torn hammocks, broken barrels and a pile of crates by the staircase. The crash did a lot of damage to what I could see, but I hoped a few of the supplies survived... there was no telling how long I'd be stuck here and if there was anything edible growing on the island. I was thinking about taking a look around outside, then a faint groan came from the pile of crates. I hesitated, it sounded like a person, but it might have just been the wood about to break. I got up and knocked a crate off the pile, revealing the person underneath.

"Schimmel!" I cried in shock, quickly pulling another crate off the pile. There was a gash on his forehead, and his left arm was badly wounded, but he was very much alive.

"Ugh... Nem? What happened?" He mumbled as I helped him up.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I don't remember anything after Barbarius got knocked overboard." I said, leading him over to one of the two undamaged hammocks and using a healing spell on his injuries.

"Oh, right... I remember now... that storm. It came out of nowhere, not even Captain Rathys could tell it was coming until it was too late. He was thrown overboard by a wave shortly before you got on deck. You saw what happened to Barbarius, another wave swept the ship and when it passed you were gone too. Bryenn ran for the edge you and Barbarius vanished by while I hurried toward the door below deck. When I got there the whole ship jolted and the last thing I remember is falling below deck." Schimmel explained.

"I see... well, if we survived, there's hope for Bryenn and Barbarius. They were probably washed up on this island too. I'll go look for them, you stay here and rest." I said, walking over to the hole and looking out across the beach.

"No, I'm well enough to help search for them." Schimmel said stubbornly, slowly walking over to join me.

"What if one of them comes here while we're both gone? One of us should wait here just in case, and I'm in better condition than you."

Schimmel stared at me for a moment, then began walking back to the hammock. "All right, I'll wait here. Don't be long though, we don't know what's out there."

I nodded and jumped out of the hole, falling to my knees when I landed. My head was still throbbing, but I couldn't let that stop me. This whole mess was my fault, I had to find Bryenn and Barbarius and get us all off this rock.

I trudged across the sand to the edge of the forest, keeping an eye on the coast for any footprints. I found nothing apart from the occasional mudcrab. The shoreline ended at the mountain, which stretched out a few feet into the ocean. I followed the base through the forest, coming to a door after a couple minutes. I peered inside and was greeted by endless darkness. Nobody would be stupid enough to go in there without a torch. I closed it and continued on my way, eventually coming to the coast again. I followed along it until I found myself back at the wrecked ship.

Depressed about not finding anyone, I started to climb back into the ship to tell Schimmel, when someone grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. I looked up to see a familiar face grinning back at me.

"Schimmel said you'd be back soon, but that was twenty minutes ago! What kept you?" Bryenn asked with a laugh.

"I was looking for you! Are you okay?"

"Been better, but I could be a lot worse off too. Guess I showed up here a little after you left."

"Any sign of Barbarius?" Schimmel asked from his hammock.

"Not unless he turned into a mudcrab." I muttered.

"Damn... well, we found a few supplies that weren't ruined. Let's have a quick bite to eat and then search this island top to bottom." Bryenn said.

"Right..." I mumbled, worried about Barbarius. It would be just my luck to recruit someone and then accidentally kill him.

After eating enough to regain some of our energy, the three of us left the ship to search for Barbarius. The beach, the forest, he was nowhere to be found. We scoured that island for almost four hours, until the only place we hadn't checked was whatever was cloaked in darkness beyond the mountainside door. Making a quick stop by the ship to pick up some torches and food, we made our way to the door. It opened with a creak, and Bryenn used a fire spell to light the torches. The door closed with an unsettling click behind us, and we headed into the abyss.

The tunnel twisted and turned, leading us into the depths below the island. No monsters, no traps, not even a sound aside from our footsteps echoing in the darkness. Eventually the tunnel ended at a door, we pushed it open and an unusual sight met our eyes. It appeared to be some sort of small hideout, set up for at least four people. There was a table in the middle of the room, and bedrolls off to the side by some barrels and crates. A few travel lanterns lined the walls, all of them lit. We cautiously searched the hideout, and heard a voice coming from deeper within.

Following a tunnel a little farther down, we came across a door that was slightly ajar. Two voices were coming from behind it.

"I... don't... KNOW! Can't you get that through your head?!" Someone yelled.

"Damn it. I should have grabbed the robed guy instead. He probably wouldn't be as useless as you!" The second voice snapped.

"It's not my fault you're an idiot!"

"You must know something, and you'll get no peace until I find out what!"

"That sounds like... Barbarius." Schimmel whispered.

"Let's try taking them by sur-" I began, but was cut off as Bryenn gave the door a hard kick, breaking it off the hinges and knocking it to the ground with a loud crash.

"Leave him alone!" Bryenn shouted, dashing over the fallen door and readying his sword.

Schimmel and I quickly followed suit. It may not have been what I had in mind by a surprise, but it worked in its own way. Though I did make a mental note to teach Bryenn the meaning of the word subtlety once this was all over.

I nocked an arrow and took aim at the person standing beside Barbarius, who was firmly tied to a chair. I hesitated after seeing the interrogator's face. "What the hell? ...Captain Rathys?"

"I'm amazed..." Rathys muttered, shaking his head. "...amazed you were all stupid enough to come here." He unsheathed the sabre on his belt and pointed it at us. "This is where you die."

"Why..."

"Behind you!" Barbarius yelled.

I barely started to turn when I heard the clash of metal behind me. Two people had dashed in behind us, one wielding a spear, the other an axe. Schimmel must have heard them, since he was already facing off the spearman, Bryenn was lucky he stepped to the side before turning, since he almost had his arm cleaved off by the axe wielder's first swing.

Taking the obvious next step, I faced Rathys again and took a quick shot at him as he charged. He dodged the arrow easily, taking a swing at me once he was close enough. I ducked under the blade and ran toward Barbarius. Removing the dagger from my sleeve, I began cutting the ropes binding him. I hadn't even gotten halfway through one when I heard Rathys running up behind me.

Dropping my dagger, I dove sideways as Rathys made a thrust at where I had been standing. Rolling to a stop, I took out an arrow and tried to aim at Rathys. He was too quick for me, he had already gotten within striking distance. I adjusted my aim and fired a second before his sabre connected with my bow, knocking it out of my hand. I crawled backwards along the ground away from him as he approached until my back bumped into the wall.

Rathys pointed his sabre at my chest and grinned. "It ends here."

"Yes it does." I chuckled.

Rathys' confused expression at my comment quickly changed to one of agony. His sword dropped at my feet, followed shortly by his corpse, my dagger planted firmly in his back. "Excellent timing, Barbarius." I said, looking up at him with a grin.

"You're nuts. What if that had hit me?!" Barbarius yelled, pointing back at the chair he had been tied to. An arrow was stuck in the side of it, the severed rope on the ground.

"My aim isn't that bad. Though honestly, I was more worried I wouldn't hit the rope in the right spot than hitting you at all. I was aiming low enough it wouldn't have been fatal if it had hit anyway."

"Oh yeah, that's comforting." Barbarius muttered sarcastically.

"If you two are done talking, any idea how we're supposed to get off this island?" Bryenn asked, walking over with Schimmel. The two people that were helping Rathys were already dead on the ground as well.

"That's easy. I heard them talking about getting a boat ready, it should be back there." Barbarius pointed out a door in the far corner of the room.

"Not another ship..." Schimmel sighed.

"We probably won't run into a storm again. Besides, a ship's the only option, unless you want to try swimming back." Bryenn laughed.

"I don't know about you, Schimmel, but I'd take a ship over slaughterfish any day." I chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah." Schimmel muttered. "At least we'll have an idea of how to work it since Rathys made us help him on the way out here. Let's get going."


	17. Nem's Rest

**Chapter 17: Nem's Rest**

The four of us dismounted the silt strider in Suran, still having a bit of an argument about our short boat trip back.

"I still can't believe you crashed into the shore..." I said, shaking my head.

"It wasn't my fault!" Schimmel said. "You told me to keep the boat going straight west, that's what I did!"

"You should have had enough common sense to turn when you saw the beach in your way!"

"Don't be too hard on him, you're the one that said to go east when we first left the island. How stupid was that?" Barbarius laughed.

"It was an honest mistake, I don't usually go by just directions, I just follow the signs."

"Roadsigns on the sea... that would be interesting." Bryenn chuckled. "Of course they'd have to be renamed seasigns."

"This is getting stupid. Why don't-" I began, but was promptly cut off.

"Gentlemen! Welcome back!" Parven shouted, walking toward us with a smile on his face. "I heard about your little trip from Fargoth, how was it?"

"Dismal. I'd rather not think about it right now." I said, still a bit irritated. The others nodded in agreement.

"All right, well I'm glad you're all back. There are big plans afoot and I need some of my best members, that includes you four!" Parven said.

"Four? But I haven't even gone on a mission for you yet, how did I get to be one of your 'best members' all of a sudden?" Barbarius asked.

"You're a special case, we need you to act as a guide. The plans take place in Solstheim, and you're probably the most familiar with that land out of all my members. Therefore, you're going as well." Parven grinned. "I'll explain everything in two days, preparations must be finished first. Rest up until then!" he walked off in a hurry, mumbling to himself.

I stared blankly at Parven as he left, wondering what he was talking about and why I had a really bad feeling about it. I decided not to think about it too much and wandered off to the barracks for some sleep, leaving the other three to their own interests.

Morning came faster than I expected. I stumbled out of the barracks and into the tavern, half asleep and hungry. I mumbled my order and sat on one of the stools, trying to wake up. I nearly fell over when someone shouted my name and ran up next to me. I stared at them for a moment, waiting for my eyes to focus. Once I could make out the face I was wondering if I was still dreaming. "Trelana?"

"Hey, you remembered my name this time!" she laughed, sitting on the barstool next to me. "I heard you were through an awful lot after leaving Ald-Ruhn. I'm glad you're okay."

"Uh, thanks. What are you doing here anyway? This tavern is supposed to be only for Forlorn members, you could get thrown out." I said with a yawn.

"Not a chance, I'm in the guild too!"

"You wha... w-why would you do something like that?" I stuttered.

"The Mages' Guild was getting a little boring, so I decided to try something new. I was only coming here to visit you at first, but I was told you and three others had just left for somewhere. I couldn't really afford an inn, so I really just signed up to have a place to stay. Unfortunately I didn't know there was a trial mission for newcomers so I had to do that, what a headache."

"Nothing too dangerous I hope..."

"Not really. Oh right, I almost forgot. I gave a dwemer tube to Edwinna for you, I said you dropped it off because you didn't want to see her. She didn't believe me of course, but didn't have any way to prove it didn't come from you."

"Thanks... I had been meaning to get one of those to her."

"I also met the three you went traveling with... it was nice talking with Schimmel again, and those other two seemed decent enough. I kinda doubted the Nord though, he seemed a bit strange... what was his name again? Barb... Barber... Barbie..."

"Barbarius!" someone shouted, walking up behind us. We turned to see Barbarius with an angry expression on his face. "Don't... call me Barbie..."

"My apologies, I'm not very good with names." Trelana laughed.

Barbarius grumbled something and sat down next to Trelana. "So what do you think the mission is tomorrow, any idea Nem?"

"Not a clue." I said, turning my attention to the plate of food the bartender just placed in front of me. "Whatever it is, it can't be good."

"It never is... not with the missions this lunatic hands out." Ruby grumbled, leaning onto the counter. "Sorry to bother you, but have any of you seen Schimmel?"

"Nope..." I said.

"I haven't seen him since last night." Barbarius replied.

"I know where he went! Schimmel and Bryenn went to some cave north of town, they heard about some bandits abducting travelers and Bryenn seemed adamant about going to slaughter them. Schimmel went along to help. They asked me to join them as well but I wanted to see Nem first."

"That idiot... I better go save them." Ruby sighed, turning to leave.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I heard they're pretty tricky, those two may be strong but I don't know if they can handle it alone."

"In that case, I better go too." Trelana said, getting up.

"Me too." Barbarius said, following them. "You coming, Nem?"

I shook my head. "Why bother? If those fools want to get themselves killed it's not my business."

"What? But they told me when you couldn't find me on that island you were really worried. I bet you were worried about them as well at first."

"That was different... it was my fault for getting all of you into that mess. It was my responsibility to make sure all of you were brought back here safely. I had nothing to do with their running off this time, it's their problem, not mine." I said bluntly, continuing to eat.

"Th... that's just horrible. How can you not be worried!?" Trelana asked, her voice somewhere between anger and sorrow.

I didn't answer, taking another bite of food.

"You... are just... argh!" Trelana screamed, punching me in the back of the head and storming out of the tavern, Barbarius following after her.

"With an attitude like that you'd make a decent assassin. Suppressing your emotions something most scholars do?" Ruby asked.

"I wouldn't know. It's just the way I am after..." I began, thinking about my life back in High Rock, and what had happened after my arrival on Vvardenfell. "Nevermind... if you're going to help them you'd best be off. Good luck."

"I plan on talking to you about that later." Ruby said stubbornly, leaving the tavern.

I shrugged it off, focusing on my breakfast.

"I can't believe he would say such a thing..." Trelana sighed, walking along the road. "That jerk, what's wrong with him!? Doesn't he care about them?"

"He's an odd one all right..." Ruby said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Something's not right with him. I think all those books have messed up his head." Barbarius said.

"If you want me to Trelana, I can beat him up when we get back." Ruby offered.

"No..." Trelana sighed again. "There's no need for you do to that... I'll do it myself."

"Hate to break up your Nem bashing, but where exactly is this cave they went to?" Barbarius asked.

"It a bit further, we should see it pretty soon." Ruby said.

After a few more minutes of walking the trio came to a door in the mountainside with two corpses nearby. It appeared that Schimmel and Bryenn had cut their way in easily. The three of them went inside and walked along the tunnel, occasionally passing a corpse or two. Eventually they began to hear sounds of combat and shouting coming from up ahead.

Bryenn's voice echoed from down the tunnel. "Damn it Schimmel, I told you not to pull that lever!"

"How would I know something like this would happen?! Jeez!" Schimmel replied.

Trelana charged down the tunnel, Barbarius close behind her. Ruby hesitated, looking back the way they came and grinning. She muttered something, shaking her head and running off to join the others. The three of them dashed down the passage, finding Bryenn and Schimmel in a large, round room with four gates. The one in front of the trio was open, along with the two on each side of them, the one across however, was shut and locked. Bryenn and Schimmel had their backs to the closed gate, fending off dozens of Nix Hounds that were pouring in from the gates on the left and right.

"I've never seen so many of them in one place..." Trelana muttered, staring at the Nix Hounds.

"Now is not the time to be impressed, we've got to help them!" Ruby shouted, dashing by Trelana and Barbarius with a dagger in each hand. "Get away from him you ugly beasts!" she yelled, leaping on top of one and thrusting her daggers into it's back.

Barbarius and Trelana followed suit, using every weapon and spell at their disposal to slay the countless Nix Hounds that were surrounding their friends.

Bryenn and Schimmel were surprised by the sudden appearance of Ruby, Barbarius and Trelana, but quickly came to their senses and starting hacking away at the Nix Hounds as well.

After a few minutes, all of the Hounds were dead. The group of five had survived the onslaught, but not without their share of injuries. As they treated their wounds, a voice echoed through the room.

"I can't believe this..." someone said.

They looked up, and saw a Breton with short black hair and a tattered gray robe standing on a small balcony above the barred door. He glared down at the group, and began yelling. "Damn it! Why can't you all just mind your own business!? I needed those Nix Hounds!"

"We could care less about those things, now return the people you have held here!" Bryenn shouted at him.

"You're too late to save them, you fetcher. They're already dead. Now leave, I have to finish something important."

"If you think we're gonna just let you get away with murdering people..."

"You're dead wrong!" Barbarius shouted, hurling a throwing knife at the Breton and piercing his shoulder.

The Breton let out a cry of pain and stumbled backwards as it struck. "Damn you, you'll regret that! You'll all be my final test." He shouted, running off.

After a moment the barred gate slowly opened, but nothing beyond a couple inches could be seen. Trelana stepped toward the entrance, and stared down the dark tunnel for a second, then turned to the others.

"I don't have a torch... how about y-" Trelana was cut off as something swung at her from the edge of the shadows. It struck her firmly in the side, sending her flying across the room and colliding with Schimmel, knocking them both out.

"That was a cheap shot, Breton!" Bryenn shouted, rushing at the darkness with his sword in the air. Before he could reach them, a large figure, much larger than a Breton, charged out of the tunnel and struck Bryenn in the chest. Bryenn sailed through the air and struck the opposite wall, collapsing into a heap on the ground.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Ruby yelled, backing away from it.

The beast appeared to be a Nix Hound, but it stood on two legs and was as big as a Nord. The Breton they had seen earlier appeared on the balcony again, laughing. "How do you like it? I've been searching for ways to create much more powerful monsters, and this is one of my best outcomes! If it can slaughter you fools, I know it has been all worth it! I'll show that fool, he'll regret what he did to me!"

"That guy's psycho..." Ruby muttered, keeping an eye on the deformed Nix Hound.

"This is not good..." Barbarius said, glancing at Trelana, Schimmel and Bryenn, who were all still unconscious. "You think we can kill it alone?"

"No idea. I do know I won't go down without a fight though." Ruby grinned.

"You're right about that." Barbarius said, gripping his dagger tightly.


	18. Parven's Mission

**Chapter 18: Parven's Mission**

The monstrous Nix Hound growled, examining the two left standing. A deafening roar filled the room as it charged at Barbarius. He jumped out of the way just as the monster ran past, unable to stop before crashing into the wall. Barbarius laughed as it stumbled after the impact.

"At least it's not very fast, or bright." Barbarius said.

"It's not the only dim one here, move you idiot!" Ruby shouted as the beast turned and rushed Barbarius again.

It slammed into Barbarius, sending him rolling across the ground. Ruby yelled something and ran at the monster, stabbing it in the back. It took a step forward and spun around, slapping Ruby in the face and slamming her against the wall. Ruby limply fell onto the ground, a large gash on her forehead.

"Ruby!" Barbarius shouted, grabbing a handful of throwing knives from his belt and hurling them at the monster. A few stuck, but they didn't seem to do much, other than piss off the deformed Nix Hound even more. It began moving toward Barbarius but stopped as it heard someone other than Barbarius speak.

"What hit me...?" Schimmel groaned, sitting up and looking around. He saw the monster a couple feet away and gasped. He tried to stand but Trelana was passed out on his legs. As the beast raised it's arm to crush them both, Schimmel grabbed Trelana and rolled them both out of the way as it struck the ground. Trelana awoke from the sudden movement, shaking out of Schimmel's grip in a panic. The two of them scrambled to their feet, staring at the monster.

"What is that thing?!" Trelana screamed, bumping into the wall.

Schimmel grabbed his sword and took a step back as it growled at him. The monster charged, Schimmel gracefully moved to the side and around behind it, slashing it's back. The monster fell to the ground and Schimmel sheathed his katana, running over to Ruby.

"Ruby... hey! Wake up!" Schimmel said, casting a healing spell on her wound.

"Schimmel..." Trelana muttered.

"Help me out here Trelana, I'm not very good with healing spells."

"Schimmel, move!" Barbarius shouted.

"Huh?" Schimmel turned in time to see the monster back on it's feet and making a grab for his neck. He didn't have time to react, something hard knocked him to the side and he tripped. A sickening crack echoed throughout the room, followed by Trelana screaming in agony. Schimmel looked back to see the beast have Trelana's left arm in it's grip. Schimmel picked up his sword and thrust it through the monster's arm in a fit of rage. It dropped Trelana and hit Schimmel, making him lose his hold on his sword and fall over backwards.

Trelana fell to her knees by the gate leading deeper into the cave. She was crying in pain and trying to heal her limp left arm. The monster turned to Trelana and began walking toward her, ignoring Schimmel's sword which was still stuck in its arm. Trelana was in too much pain to move or fight back, Schimmel had no weapon, and Barbarius's leg was wounded after the beasts last attack, not to mention he had used all his throwing knives.

When the monster was a few steps away from Trelana, an arrow struck it in the back, followed by a crossbow bolt. The monster slowly turned to see what had hit it, and was met with another arrow and bolt. It stumbled a bit, and two more sped through the air, each one striking it in the head. The monster growled weakly and collapsed, finally dead.

A Bosmer stepped out of the tunnel leading to the entrance, holding a crossbow. "I told you we should have done something sooner."

"Shut up, Fargoth." I grumbled, returning my bow to the inside of my robe. "I told you I wanted to make sure we had a clear shot first. Shooting one of our allies, even by accident, would not be helpful. I don't trust the accuracy of those things."

"Crossbows are just as accurate as normal bows!" Fargoth argued.

"I don't feel like having this conversation with you again, they each have their own perks and drawbacks, let's leave it at that." I sighed, not even noticing the others staring blankly at the two of us.

"It's about time you stopped following us and came into view! I've heard you two idiots following us from Suran!" Ruby shouted, now awake and looking extremely angry. "You're late on your little last minute rescue thing, Trelana got hurt because you idiots took your sweet time!"

"It wasn't our fault, you guys missed a few guards on your way in, so we had to deal with them!" Fargoth shouted back.

"We should get back to town. Now. Trelana needs a healer quickly." I interrupted, looking at her arm. "None of us specialize in restoration magicka... and this is far too much damage for an amateur to handle."

Schimmel removed his katana from the monster's arm and stabbed it in the throat to make sure it was dead this time. "Fine by me." he said, wiping his sword clean.

The six of them left the cave in a hurry, leaving the countless dead Nix Hounds behind. They began down the road to Suran, tired and sore from the battle.

"I hope we never have to fight something like that again." Barbarius said.

"That would be nice, but we did let that Breton escape." Trelana sighed, nursing her broken arm.

"Crap! I forgot all about him!" Schimmel exclaimed.

"Forget about him." I said, crossing my arms and glancing at Trelana. "That fetcher teleported out of there right after the giant Nix Hound fell."

"Yeah, but that Breton aside... doesn't it feel like we're forgetting something?" Fargoth mumbled.

"Did we? I wonder..." Ruby scratched her head.

"Damn it! What are you guys thinking just leaving me behind?!" Someone shouted from behind us. Bryenn was running to catch up, and he didn't look happy. "How could you ditch me like that?!"

We all looked at each other, trying to figure out why none of us remembered Bryenn had been knocked out by that monster and the left in the cave.

"Sorry Bryenn, I guess we were all so worried about Trelana we just sort of... forgot about you." I chuckled nervously.

Bryenn grumbled something and walked off ahead of us. We followed behind as quickly as we could. When we arrived back in Suran we took Trelana to the healer and returned to the guild tavern for a relaxing drink. I was more interested in food than drink for once, those idiots had interrupted my breakfast and it was now past noon.

When we opened the door to the tavern, we saw Parven standing in the corner. He was speaking to a small crowd gathered around him, but stopped when he saw the six of us walk in. He grinned as he usually does before giving us another mission that's next to impossible and called us over. I ignored him, walking up to the bar and ordering something to eat. Even if it was important, I could hear him just fine from the counter. He turned to the crowd again and began to speak while everyone sat down.

"I'm glad everyone is here! I was hoping to give you the details of the mission today, and send you off tomorrow. Now then, as I have already said, my agents have reported the location of one of the ASP's base of operations. It is in the northwest part of Solstheim. I will need a dozen of you for this mission, and have selected you for your excellent skills. The people I am sending on this mission are..." Parven removed a list from his pocket and began reading off names. "Assuni, Barbarius, Bryenn, Fargoth, Gorub, Harvey, Mark, Nem, Razelus, Ruby, Schimmel and Valen. All of you are to meet me at the edge of Lake Masobi in the city tomorrow morning, I have arranged for a couple boats to take you to Vivec. From there, my personal ship will take you all the way to Solstheim. Details of the mission will be explained then." The moment he finished talking, Parven walked out of the tavern.

The silence was broken by loud chatter the moment the door shut behind Parven. I sighed, wondering why I had to be a part of it. I prodded the food now sitting in front of me with a fork. After that little speech I had suddenly lost my appetite. I dropped my fork and walked out of the tavern to clear my head. After a long, aimless walk, I found myself in the Fields of Kummu along the edge of Lake Amaya. I sighed, laying on the ground a few feet from the water. I stared up at the clouds, countless questions running through my mind.

"Is he dead...?"

"I don't think so."

"What could he be doing out here?"

"Don't ask me. I know as much as you."

I groaned, slowly opening my eyes. A Dunmer and Altmer were standing over me, staring down. They took a couple steps back as I sat up. The sun was now low in the sky, barely above the horizon. "Crap... it's dusk already?" I yawned.

"Actually... it's just after dawn." the Altmer said.

I leapt to my feet in surprise. "What?! Double crap! I'm gonna be late!" I shouted, charging down the road back to Suran. The two elves stared blankly at my back as I ran off.

"You're late!" Ruby yelled, pulling me into the small boat.

"Sorry... I went for a walk and fell asleep." I said, sitting down.

"For someone claiming to be a scholar, you can be a real idiot sometimes." Barbarius muttered.

"Shut up, Barbie." I grumbled as everyone else climbed into the small boats.

"Damn it! Don't call me that!" Barbarius shouted, rocking the boat.

"Calm down! You're gonna tip us over!" Ruby yelled, nearly falling out.

After a short trip to Vivec, we all boarded the ship that would take us to Solstheim. It seemed like a good idea for once, sending so many people. However, there was a nagging question in the back of my head. Along with a feeling of dread about this mission.


	19. The First Base

**Chapter 19: The First Base**

The journey was longer than expected, we were already on the fifth day of the trip. The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky as a chilly wind blew across the deck. I leaned against the side of the ship, staring blankly across the ocean. My wandering mind brought back to reality as Ruby stepped up next to me.

"I always feel more relaxed on a boat for some reason." she said.

"I used to. After the shipwreck last week I'm a bit nervous. No clouds today though, so I'm not too worried." I mumbled, continuing to watch the ocean. "I've been meaning to ask... about Trelana..."

"She's fine. Well, as fine as she can be after having her arm broken. The healer was able to mend it, but it'll be at least two weeks before she can use it normally again"

"I see... that's good."

"So you were worried about her." Ruby grinned.

"Of course. We're allies after all."

"Is that all?"

I gave Ruby a confused look. "What else is there?"

Ruby sighed, shaking her head. "You really are a strange one." she said walking off.

I scratched my head, wondering what she was talking about for a moment. It wasn't long before my mind wandered to something else. I sat on the deck, looking around at the unfamiliar guild members. Gorub, an Orc axeman, was arguing with the Nord warrior called Mark. They seemed to be fighting about who was stronger. Harvey, who I had talked with a couple times before now was sitting on the other side of the ship, sharpening his spear. The Dunmer hunter Valen was with him, saying that arrows were like mini spears and that he should take up archery.

I didn't see Razelus on the deck, he was a Dunmer and a skilled mage. At least from what I had heard about him, from him. The guy had an ego the size of Cyrodiil, I felt like shoving him off that little boat we came to this one on a number of times. I could only assume he was annoying some other poor soul down in the hold. Assuni was at the bow of the ship, she appeared to be meditating. She was a Khajiit, I hadn't seen many of them at the guild before. I hadn't seen many Argonians either for that matter, except for the one working at the tavern a few times.

"Where is that little fetcher?!" Ruby shouted, causing everyone to look at her. She looked around the deck and then walked down into the hold. A couple minutes passed before the door leading down swung open again, striking Valen's foot. He looked as if he was going to yell at Ruby, but decided not to after seeing the expression on her face. "When we get back to Suran, I'm gonna kill him!" she shouted, going back down and slamming the door shut.

"What was that all about?" someone asked suddenly, giving me a fright.

Schimmel was standing next to me, staring at the door to the hold. "I have no idea." I shrugged. "She's making no sense today."

"She's looking for the Bosmer." Harvey said, walking over to us in a hopeless attempt to escape Valen's inability to shut up about bows.

"Fargoth...?" Schimmel wondered aloud.

"Come to think of it, I didn't see Fargoth for the whole trip." I said, leaning back.

"This is a lot of people, maybe he was left behind..." Schimmel said.

"I doubt it, I remember hearing that Fargoth was afraid of boats for some reason." Bryenn said, suddenly joining our conversation.

"Why's that?" Valen asked, walking up behind Harvey.

Nobody had an answer. We thought about it for a moment, but the silence was quickly shattered by Razelus. He had come up from below deck and was listening to our conversation without our noticing.

"Who needs some puny little Bosmer when I've got more than enough power to make up for him?" Razelus said smugly.

After he spoke, I quickly got up and walked away before the urge to shove him overboard returned. I sat down again near Assuni, who seemed to be dead to the world. Glancing at Razelus, I saw that everyone else had followed my example and walked away quickly at the sound of his voice. He wasn't one to take a hint however, and was following Bryenn around the deck. I shook my head, wondering how anyone could act like that.

A couple hours passed, and snow began falling. The shores of Solstheim slowly passed by. Occasionally a wolf could be seen walking among the trees, but other than that there were no signs of life. The ship came to a stop just west of Hvitkald Peak, and the eleven of us left the ship to find the ASP's base. Mark and Barbarius, both being from Solstheim, led us through the rocky landscape. They helped us avoid any unnecessary fights with wolves and monsters. We trudged through the snow for what seemed like hours, Razelus constantly complaining about the freezing temperatures. Parven had told us to buy some warmer clothing before leaving, Razelus was the only one stupid enough not to. If his toes fell off from frostbite it was his own fault.

"I guess this is it..." Barbarius said, pointing to a hole leading into one of the mountains. It was half covered by icicles and was barely large enough for a person to fit through.

Razelus was, of course, the first one to speak. "That dinky little hole? Nords really are stupid aren't they? Why would they make their base in a place like that?!"

"Raz, do everyone a favor and shut the hell up!" Valen shouted at him.

"How dare you speak to me like that! You should respect your older, more intelligent brother. Now apologize!" Razelus scolded him.

"I will not. I'm trying to keep you from being lynched. If you haven't noticed, half the people here look like they'd gladly remove your head to stop the noise coming from it. I bet the only thing stopping them is being expelled from the guild!"

Razelus looked around the group, just noticing the irritated looks he was getting from almost everyone. Assuni was preoccupied by the cave Barbarius had pointed out, and Mark was checking to see if Razelus's shouting had drawn any monsters. Razelus looked like he was about to say something, but the sound of ice breaking distracted him. We all looked over just as Assuni disappeared into the cave. The rest of us quickly followed after her.

It was much deeper than it appeared on the outside. The cave descended for a while, widened a bit and forked. There was a small tunnel to the right, and a large one to the left. Before anyone could offer the suggestion of splitting up, a faint voice came from the left path. We all crept along the left passageway, listening for anything else. We soon came to a large, empty room. Schimmel took a couple steps in, and promptly fell on his face.

"Schimmel, you are such a klutz..." Ruby sighed, walking over to help him up.

"Ruby wait, it's-" Schimmel was cut off as Ruby slipped, landing right on top of him.

"It's... ice..." Ruby groaned, rolling off Schimmel and unsteadily getting to her feet. "Sorry about that."

"Sure..." Schimmel mumbled, standing up.

Assuni walked by him with no problems, looking around the room. The rest of us followed, doing our best not to slip. We searched every corner, but no other paths could be found.

"What now?" Bryenn asked.

"I know I heard a voice coming from here..." Mark said.

"I don't see anything." Harvey muttered.

"I think we went the wrong way." Razelus grumbled.

"No we didn't." I said. "Look up."

Six people were standing on ledges a few yards above us. After they heard me speak, a hail of fireballs rained down around us. The ice began to crack where the flames struck. Everyone that was able fired back at the mages. Barbarius and Ruby were hurling throwing knives, but unable to get very accurate shots. The same was true for Valen, who was firing arrows wildly at where the fireballs came from. I was about to try my shockball spell, when there was an explosion. Two of the mages attacking us fell from the higher area and right through the ice. There was no splash, we weren't standing on a frozen pond, below us was a pit with no visible bottom.

I looked up again as a another blast knocked one of our attackers from his perch. Unfortunately, he landed right next to Schimmel. The ice underneath him shattered, and Schimmel was lost to the darkness. There was a scream to my right, I turned in time to see Mark and Assuni fall through the ice as well.

"Get back to the tunnel, we'll all be killed at this rate!" Valen shouted just before a fire blast struck him. He was thrown backwards and slid across the ice, falling down the same hole that Schimmel did.

"Brother!" Razelus yelled, "Damn you all!" Razelus created a large orb of lightning in his hand and threw it upwards. There was a massive explosion from his spell that threw me backwards. I landed hard and fell through the ice.


	20. Shattered and Scattered

**Chapter 20: Shattered and Scattered**

"Hey... wake up." someone said, shaking me. "I know you're not dead, you weren't as unlucky as him."

I groaned, my whole body ached from the fall. I sat up and rubbed my head. Mark was standing over me, warhammer in hand. "What are you talking about? Is someone..."

Mark pointed to something behind me. I turned and saw Gorub, he had been impaled on a stalagmite. Mark shook his head and looked around. "I haven't looked for anyone else yet, it's a maze down here. Not to mention all the monsters that could be wandering around."

As soon as he spoke, we heard footsteps coming from nearby. Mark held his hammer ready, looking almost terrified. I got to my feet, ignoring the pain and reaching for my bow. I grabbed nothing but air, my bow was missing. Before I had a chance to get a spell ready, someone stepped around the corner.

"Good... it's just you." Mark said, obviously relieved.

Assuni limped around the corner, clutching her side.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"She's walking isn't she?" Mark interrupted. "More importantly, have you seen any monsters down here?"

Assuni shook her head, looking over the small cave we were in.

"Well... maybe we'll be lucky and not find any down here." Mark said, walking over to one of the few pathways leading deeper into the cave. "Now we just have to find our way out, unless one of you knows a levitation spell."

"Nope, I've been studying alteration but haven't taken the time to learn any new spells." I said, following Mark. "Any idea where we should go?"

"It's hard to say... let's just look around for now. Keep your guard up, there's no telling what's down here." Mark said, leading us into the unknown.

--

"Oh my aching head..." Valen grumbled.

"You always seem to land on your head... maybe that's why you're no good with magic?" Razelus chuckled.

"You must be fine if you're making stupid jokes... where are we, anyway?" Valen asked, looking over the area. They were near a ledge that sloped sharply down, Razelus was staring down with a worried look on his face.

"That doesn't look good..." Razelus muttered.

"What is it, Brother?" Valen asked, stumbling over to the ledge and looking down. "Oh crap... are they?"

"I can't tell if they're dead or not... what was the name of that blonde swordsman again? He's one of them down there."

"You mean Schimmel?"

"Yes, and there's someone with him, looks like they're both either knocked out or dead."

"What?! We have to get down there!" Valen panicked.

"Calm down... if I was alone, it would be easy. Since you're with me we had better find a path leading to them, I don't want you to break your neck trying to climb down the cliff. Come on." Razelus said, looking for a passage that lead down.

--

"Woo... that was close." Harvey said, looking down through the broken ice. "Looks like we're the only ones that made it."

"We have to go look for them!" Bryenn said, running off down the tunnel leading out.

"What makes you think this cave is even connected to that one?" Barbarius asked, chasing after him.

"This!" Bryenn said, pointing to the tunnel they had passed by on their way in.

"Makes sense... it could lead us down there." Harvey said. "Who wants to go first?"

"No thanks... I know what could be down there, and it's not something I'd like to run into." Barbarius said, taking a step backwards.

"Don't be a wimp, follow me!" Bryenn shouted, charging down the tunnel. Harvey and Barbarius close behind him.

"What do you think is down here?" Harvey asked, doing his best to keep up with Bryenn.

"The worst thing on Solstheim... werewolves." Barbarius said grimly.

--

Schimmel groaned, finally waking up. There was a throbbing pain in his leg and something under his right hand felt warm. He glanced over at his arm, too sore to move. "Huh...? These look like... pants?" He picked his head up a bit, wondering who was next to him. It took him a moment to realize just what his hand was resting on, and by the time he did, the person had woken up and was glaring back at him.

"Get it off, or I'll rip it off." Ruby said coldly.

"Ah!" Schimmel scrambled away as quickly as he could. "S... sorry... uh... oh jeez... this is embarrassing... I didn't mean to..." he stuttered.

Ruby pushed herself off her stomach, getting to her feet. "If you say so... but if I ever find out it was on purpose." She glared at him again, brandishing her dagger.

"It was an accident Ruby! There's no reason to-" Schimmel panicked.

Ruby grinned, then burst out laughing.

Schimmel gave her a confused look. "Uh... Ruby? You okay?"

"You should have seen the look on your face, it went bright red!" Ruby laughed. "Don't worry about it Schimmy, I don't think you're the kind of guy that would intentionally grope an unconscious woman."

"Er... y-yeah..." Schimmel muttered, looking away.

"Oh stop blushing and stand up." Ruby said, walking over and pulling Schimmel to his feet. "We have to find any other survivors, unless what you just did wiped your memory." she grinned.

"Ah, right! What happened after the fight? Did we win?" Schimmel asked.

"If you can call that a win." Someone said.

They looked toward where the voice had come from, Razelus and Valen were standing at the entrance of the only tunnel out.

"I'm glad you're both all right, we saw you from the cliff up there and you looked dead." Valen exclaimed, dashing up to Schimmel.

"We can chat later, is it just you two?" Ruby asked.

"Haven't seen anyone else yet. We should keep moving, there's no telling what could be down here." Razelus said seriously, glancing over his shoulder and down the tunnel.

"He's got a point, it's better to find the enemy before they find us." Valen said.

Schimmel nodded, unsheathing his sword and leading them cautiously down the tunnel.

--

"Bryenn, why are you stopping?" Harvey asked, the tunnel they were in had gotten so narrow and dark it was difficult to see anything.

Bryenn took a couple steps forward, and then one to the side. The narrow tunnel lead out to a vast underground gorge. There was a rickety old wooden bridge leading across it to another tunnel on the other side.

"That must lead to where the others fell." Barbarius said.

"Well we should go find them then, come on." Bryenn said stubbornly, walking up to the bridge and peering down the chasm. "That looks deep... I can't see the bottom." he muttered.

"Wait a moment, if we all cross over there, what's to stop anyone from cutting down the bridge on this side?" Harvey thought aloud, scratching his head.

"You've got a point... one of us should stay behind and guard this place." Barbarius said.

"Who should wait here?" Bryenn asked, taking a step back from the bridge.

"The choice is obvious. Bryenn, you wait here. Anyone, or anything that shows up here will be no match for you." Harvey said with a grin.

Bryenn didn't seem too thrilled at the idea of being left behind at first, but after another glance at the gorge, he sighed and agreed to do it.

Harvey and Barbarius crossed the bridge carefully, but it was sturdier than it appeared. They crossed without so much as a cracking board.

"We'll be back soon Bry, at least, I hope so!" Barbarius called back to him, before disappearing into the tunnel with Harvey.

Bryenn sighed as he lost sight of them. "They get to have all the fun... I hope everyone's still alive."

--

Schimmel continued to lead them down the tunnel when Razelus broke the silence. "Hey... can we have someone else lead? I would rather not be behind a klutz."

"Who're you calling a klutz?!" Schimmel and Ruby shouted at him in unison.

Razelus stumbled backwards from their sudden outburst, accidentally stepping on Valen's foot.

"Ow! You're the klutz, watch where you're stepping!" Valen yelled at him.

"Yeah, Schimmel's no klutz... he just... lacks any sort of common sense!" Ruby defended him, rather badly.

"Thanks Ruby... that's so much better than 'klutz'" Schimmel sighed.

"I didn't mean..." Ruby began, but was cut off by a howl echoing through the tunnel.

"Oh crap... what was that?!" Valen exclaimed, quickly nocking an arrow.

"It sounded like a wolf, but normal ones wouldn't be underground. It must've been a werewolf." Razelus said, looking up and down the tunnel, wondering which direction it came from.

Ruby darted down the tunnel, obviously knowing where it came from. When she came to the end she skidded to a halt, staring into the large cave it ended at. "Oh no..." she muttered.

Schimmel, Valen and Razelus arrived behind her shortly, also shocked by the sight that awaited them.

There were nearly a dozen werewolves in the room ahead. Two were laying dead on the ground, a Khajiit was slumped against the wall near them, unconscious and bleeding badly. Someone shouted and there was a sickening crack as a warhammer crushed one of the werewolves' skulls.

They saw Mark fighting them off as the one dropped from his last blow. "Get the hell away from me, you beasts!" he shouted again as five of them surrounded him. "Nem, are you all right?"

"What do you think?!" I shouted back, barely avoiding a swing from one of them. "I have to help Assuni... she could be infected, but these bas-" I was cut off as one of them dug it's claws into my side. "Argh!"

"Nem! Hold on!" Schimmel shouted, dashing toward the group of werewolves. He leapt backwards as two of them dove at him. "Crap." he muttered as three more that had been attacking Mark joined the two that assaulted him.

"Get the hell away from Schimmel." Ruby said coldly, dashing up beside him.

"You've got us to deal with as well don't forget." Razelus yelled as he and Valen positioned themselves behind Ruby and Schimmel.

"This is gonna be interesting." Mark grinned as he saw the other four enter.


	21. A Bloody Reunion

**Chapter 21: A Bloody Reunion**

"Get... off!" I shouted, sending a surge of lightning through the werewolf that was clawing my side. It was knocked backwards, and I fell to the ground, unable to stand. I threw a shockball at a second werewolf that got close, but wasn't sure how long I could fend them off.

Mark raised his warhammer and smashed another werewolf with ease. He had a satisfied look on his face, enjoying the battle far too much, at least, that's what I thought.

"Be careful Schimmel..." Ruby said, before sprinting toward one of the werewolves. It took a swing at her when she got close. She ducked under it's arm and brought her dagger up fast, stabbing it in the throat. Another of the werewolves took this opportunity to get behind her, but was cut down by Schimmel before it could attack.

Valen fired arrow after arrow at anything that looked tall, furry and dangerous. In other words, pretty much anything in the room. He seemed to be in a panic, not taking time to aim properly before shooting. He missed a few times, and nearly hit Mark once.

Razelus was hesitating to use his magic. Most of his spells struck a wide range, and it was a bit too crowded for spells like that. He took his time, only casting a couple spells at those that had gotten far enough away from everyone else. When he did get a shot, it wasn't wasted. It only took one or two blasts to kill them.

I managed to finish one of the two with a barrage of shockball spells. I took aim at the other, but nothing happened. I tried again, still nothing. I tried to crawl backwards, but the pain was too much. "Crap... what a time to run out of energy..." I muttered, staring at the werewolf as it approached.

I reached for my dagger just as it lunged at me. It dropped to the ground a few inches from my feet, four throwing knives stuck in it's back. I looked up at the person standing over the werewolf's corpse.

"Isn't this familiar, you acting as a decoy and me finishing off the monster." Barbarius grinned.

"Where did you come from?" I asked.

"Not even a thank you? Talk about ungrateful." Barbarius said, shaking his head. "We came from over there." he pointed to another tunnel out of the room. "That's the way out. Bryenn's guarding the exit."

"I'll just be glad to leave..." I said, wishing I had enough strength left for a healing spell.

"That's the last of them." Harvey said, pulling his spear out of a werewolf. "Everyone okay?"

"No..." Valen said, crouching over Assuni. "She's dead."

"Damn... so we were too late." Mark said, kicking one of the corpses.

"Figures they went after her first when they ambushed us..." I sighed.

"I suppose we should get back to the bridge and get out of here, Bryenn's..." Barbarius trailed off, staring down the tunnel leading to the exit. "You guys hear that?"

"It sounds like... Bryenn's in trouble!" Ruby said, dashing down the tunnel.

Everyone else began to follow her, but didn't get far before I yelled at them. "Are you forgetting about me?!" I was still on the ground, clutching the wound on my side.

"Oh... sorry Nem, I'll tend to that. Someone else better wait here in case another werewolf attacks while I'm healing him." Razelus said, walking up to me.

"I've stuck with him this long, I doubt a couple extra minutes will kill me." Mark joked.

"I'll stay behind too." Harvey said, resting his spear on his shoulder.

--

Everyone else hurried through the tunnels. They got to the bridge just as Bryenn knocked someone off the cliff and into the chasm. He sheathed his sword and turned to the bridge, just now noticing the group of people on the other side.

"I guess he was right, nothing can get by me!" Bryenn grinned. "Hurry up and get across, something tells me we're not done fighting yet!"

They began crossing the bridge, one person at a time. Everyone went at their own pace, Ruby had no trouble at all, but ended up going back to help Schimmel cross since she was worried he'd do something stupid and end up falling to his death.

"You sure that bridge can hold two people?" Barbarius asked as Ruby helped Schimmel to the other side.

"If it can hold you, it can certainly hold us." Ruby chuckled.

"I guess… hey! Don't insult me like that!" Barbarius yelled.

"Oh please, if I wanted to insult you I'd call you Barbie. Schimmel said that really pisses you off." Ruby laughed.

"Don't call me that!" Barbarius yelled again.

Valen was the last one going across when the four of us caught up to them.

"Don't trip, Val!" Razelus shouted at his brother. Valen wasn't expecting someone to yell, and stumbled over his own feet. "What did I just tell you?" Razelus laughed.

"Don't scare me like that! You know I can't stand heights, what would you do if I fell?!" Valen yelled.

"I don't know, find a new brother?" Razelus joked.

"You're a riot, Raz..." Valen grumbled sarcastically, quickly crossing the last foot of the bridge.

Razelus walked across without hesitation, either he wasn't afraid of heights or knew a levitation spell. I knew that would certainly help me, I felt sick just standing a few feet from the edge. I grabbed the ropes, slowly walking across the bridge. When I was halfway across I heard someone behind me cry out in pain.

I looked back and saw Mark on his knees with a spear sticking through his chest. Harvey was standing behind him, an emotionless expression on his face. He pulled his spear out of Mark, who slumped onto his side and fell over the cliff.

"What the hell?!" Barbarius shouted.

"Traitor!" Valen yelled.

"I'll kill him before he can take another step!" Ruby said, taking a throwing knife from her pocket.

"Wait! Don't kill him!" I shouted, taking a couple uneasy steps toward the other side of the gorge. "He's not thinking clearly, look at him!"

"What do you mean?" Schimmel asked.

"He just murdered Mark, and you don't want us to take him down? Are you on their side too!?" Valen demanded, aiming his bow at me.

"Don't be an idiot Valen!" I shouted at him. "Look at his eyes. Razelus, you know what I'm talking about right?"

Razelus stared at Harvey, who was now walking slowly across the bridge. "I see what you mean, put down the bow Val, Harvey is being controlled."

"What? How is that possible?" Bryenn asked.

"It's a spell, a rather difficult one for most people. I know one that can cancel it out though, get over here Nem, I need to get close to use it." Razelus said, stepping onto the bridge, grabbing my arm and pulling me the rest of the way.

"Razelus, wait! How are you planning on getting close enough to hit him with it?" Valen asked.

"I've no idea, but I'll help him out, one way or another." Razelus grinned, walking toward Harvey.

Harvey charged at Razelus when he got close, shaking the bridge. Razelus somehow evaded the first attack, but wasn't expecting someone being controlled to be smart enough to swing sideways after a thrust. He was struck by the side of the spear and knocked off balance. Another strike made him stumble and fall backwards, right over the side of the bridge and vanishing into the darkness below.

Harvey turned his spear back to us, but before he could take a step something flew from the chasm, landing on the bridge behind him.

"Did I mention that my skill with destruction magicka is second only to my powers of alteration?" Razelus grinned, grabbing Harvey by the shoulders. "Mysticism may not be my best skill, but it's good enough to stop this." A bright light flashed from Razelus's hands, and Harvey fell to his knees, dropping his spear.

"That's my brother... always showing off his levitation spell." Valen sighed, shaking his head.

"That was... amazing." I said, making a mental note to ask Razelus for some alteration lessons later.

"Harvey... you back to normal now?" Razelus asked, shaking him a bit.

"What... what happened to me?" Harvey muttered, staring down at his bloody spear. "I... I killed... Mark? Why did... what the hell happened to me?!" he shouted, trembling.

"It was a command spell, conjuration experts use it to control people. People like that are too scared to fight themselves, always using command or summoning spells. I can't stand people like that." Razelus said, helping Harvey stand up.

"Someone... made me do it?" Harvey said, picking up his spear. "How dare they... I'll kill whatever bas... Raz, watch out!" he said suddenly, spinning around and pushing Razelus backwards off the bridge and onto the other side of the gorge. There was a fiery blast where Harvey was standing that almost knocked the rest of us over as well. When the smoke cleared, most of the bridge had been destroyed, and Harvey was gone.


	22. Seeking Revenge

**Chapter 22: Seeking Revenge**

"No... Harvey!" Razelus shouted, leaping over the edge and diving into the chasm.

"Crap, have you lost your mind, Raz?!" Valen yelled, running forward and nearly falling off the edge as well.

A few moments passed before Razelus returned. "I wasn't fast enough... damn it. Where could that have come from?" Razelus growled, looking around. He sped through the air backwards just as another fire spell fell from the ceiling of the cavern. Razelus looked up and saw someone standing on a ledge, far above the rest of us. "I see you up there! Prepare to die!" Razelus yelled, soaring straight at the person without a second thought.

"Raz, wait! Damn it!" Valen shouted at his brother, but his cries fell upon deaf ears. Razelus clearly had only one thing on his mind, killing whoever murdered Harvey. Valen charged by us and up the path leading back to the exit. The rest of us followed after him as quickly as we could, but it didn't take long for us to lose sight of him in the narrow tunnel. When we emerged from the tunnel, Valen had vanished.

"Which way do you think he went?" Barbarius asked, looking left and right at the fork.

"Use what little brains you have, Barbie. It's obvious he wouldn't go back to the room we fell though." I grumbled, starting off down the tunnel leading away from the room where we had been ambushed earlier.

"You call me that again, and I swear I'll kick your-" Barbarius never got a chance to finish his sentence. The wall Schimmel was passing exploded, sending him flying across the tunnel and crashing into Bryenn, knocking the both of them out cold. Barbarius stared at the both of them laying on the ground a few inches in front of him. "What the hell caused that?!"

"I don't know, but if you had been running any faster, you'd be in the pile as well. Consider yourself lucky." I said, looking the large hole in the wall left by the blast.

"Oh no... Schimmel!" Ruby exclaimed, running over to them.

"Just Schimmel? Bryenn's hurt too you know," Barbarius said. "or are you just-" he was cut off again. Before he could say anything else, there was another explosion, this time I was the one thrown across the room. Luckily for me, Barbarius was there to cushion the impact when I landed.

"Ugh... I think I found Razelus." I said, sitting up after a moment.

"That's nice... now would you get off of me?!" Barbarius yelled.

I looked down, just now realizing I was sitting on Barbarius's back. "Sorry..." I muttered, standing up and walking back to the new hole in the wall.

Barbarius stood up, rubbing his back. "Damn Nem, you're not very light are you?"

"Complain about my weight later, we have to help him first." I said, pointing through the hole. Razelus was fighting off three people, and a fourth was watching from a distance. I was about to step through and help when Ruby grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.

"Hold on. I don't think he needs any help, just watch." Ruby said.

One of the people charged at Razelus and there was a flash of light. The person that attacked was struck by a massive lightning blast and hurtled backwards. He slammed into the cave wall head first, breaking his neck. The other two rushed Razelus, he turned toward them and shot another orb of lightning at the ground between them. Both of them were blown across the room, one landed hard, rolling across the ground for a few feet. The other wasn't as lucky, he landed on a stalagmite near the wall and was killed instantly. The third person unsteadily got to his feet, brandishing his sword at Razelus.

"Are you really that stupid? I'm not after you, just her." Razelus said, gesturing to the fourth person in the room. "Leave now and I'll let you live."

The person hesitated, lowering his sword a bit. He took a step backwards and turned to leave.

"Coward!" someone shouted. The woman Razelus was after walked up behind the third person and his head fell to the ground, followed shortly by the rest of his corpse.

"You sick..." Razelus muttered, holding up his right hand. "Die!" A blinding flash of light flew from his palm at the woman, and an explosion of flames engulfed her.

"That was for everyone you killed, fetcher." Razelus said coldly. He turned and saw us watching from the hole in the wall, and began to walk toward us. Before anyone could speak, someone charged out of the smoke made by Razelus's spell. Razelus managed to turn back in the direction it came from, but wasn't quick enough to attack. He was knocked backwards a short distance and collapsed on the floor, a long cut across his chest.

An Imperial woman with long brown hair, black cloth armor, and a bloody katana was standing over Razelus. "Sorry pal, but that stuff won't work on me." she grinned. She raised her sword and swung it down again before Ruby or I could try and stop her. The woman's sword stopped suddenly, as if it was being blocked by something. "What the hell?! A shield? No... it's!"

"A person that you failed to kill on many occasions." Someone said, slowly fading into view. Barbarius was standing face to face with the woman, blocking her katana with his dagger. "Remember me, Rachel?" he grinned.

The woman jumped backwards, landing a few feet away from Barbarius. "I thought I'd never see YOU again, my troops told me you had left for Vvardenfell."

"I did. That's where I met up with Forlorn and learned all about you and your guild. Now I'm back for revenge, you'll pay for driving me out of my own home!" Barbarius shouted, disappearing again.

"Damn illusionist thief. If you hadn't been spying on us, we never would have bothered with the likes of you." Rachel said, looking around the room. "Besides... you should know that what you're doing is wrong."

"Me? I never spied on you or your team of idiots! I got in a brawl with a couple of fetchers at the bar, and then you guys start popping up all over the damn place trying to kill me! If anyone is wrong about this, it's you!" Three throwing knives flew at Rachel's back. She swiftly spun around, dodging two and deflecting the other with her sword.

"You're pathetic." Rachel said, dashing forward and swinging at the air a couple times. "Stealth just isn't your thing. Why not take up something you have a chance at, although as stupid as you are it may limit your choices."

"Do me a favor and shut up." Barbarius's voice echoed through the cavern, and two more throwing knives flew out of nowhere at Rachel's head. Once again, she swiftly dodged them.

Rachel laughed, turning in the direction they had come from and ran forward. She slid to a stop, spun around and swung at the air. There was a splatter of blood on the ground followed by a scream. Barbarius reappeared and collapsed, a deep gash in his side.

"You should really learn how to use that spell properly." Rachel said, gesturing to the ground. Barbarius saw his footprints in the dirt and cursed under his breath. "You don't move very quietly either. If you had stayed quiet, you might have had a chance. You're just one of those people that never knows when to shut up it seems." she aimed her sword at Barbarius's throat. "Any last words?"

"Burn in hell!" someone shouted. An arrow whizzed through the air and struck Rachel's shoulder. She dropped her sword and stumbled backward, looking up at her attacker. Valen was standing at the opening of a tunnel, nocking another arrow. "You're lucky you moved, but I don't miss twice!" he shouted again, taking aim at Rachel.

"Oh yeah?" Rachel held up her left hand as Valen released his arrow. There was a flash of light and Rachel was gone, Valen's arrow struck the cave wall and broke in half.

"An intervention spell..." Razelus muttered. He was still on his back, but his wound had been partially healed.

"Raz, you idiot! You shouldn't run off on your own like that!" Valen yelled running over to him. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine, but if you don't heal Barbarius he might bleed to death. Move it you idiot!" Razelus shouted, glancing at me.

I stared at him blankly for a moment, the battle was so absorbing I forgot I could even move, let alone help. I quickly climbed through the hole and ran to Barbarius. I put my hand over his wound and focused, but nothing happened. "Crap... I forgot! I used up all my power on those damn werewolves!"

"What about potions?" Razelus asked.

"Mine broke when we fell." Valen said.

"Crap... so how are we supposed to help him?!" I shouted, glancing at Barbarius. He was still bleeding badly, and it didn't look like it planned on slowing down anytime soon.

"I... don't know." Valen muttered.


	23. A Dismal Victory

**Chapter 23: A Dismal Victory**

"Have you all forgotten about me AGAIN?! I don't know why I bother sticking around sometimes." An irritated voice came from the hole in the wall. Bryenn stepped through, rubbing his head where it had struck the wall. "I guess you'd just be lost without me."

"Schimmel can heal people too you know." Ruby said coldly, following Bryenn through the hole.

"Yeah, but I'm not very-" Schimmel was cut off as he fell to ground after tripping over the short step up into the room.

"Not very good at walking? I agree." Razelus grinned weakly.

"Oh shut up." Ruby snapped, quickly helping Schimmel up.

After Bryenn tended to Barbarius's wounds, the seven of us searched the remaining parts of the cave. It was indeed the base we were seeking, a few of the rooms we found were easily enough to keep at least a dozen people living here at a time. A storage room of weapons, potions and other things was found as well. We took a few potions and scrolls, before letting Razelus blast the ceiling with one of his most powerful spells and burying whatever wouldn't burn. He did the same with every other room as we found them. After making sure we had gotten all the main rooms we left the cave, Razelus caving in a passage occasionally. We left the base through the same small hole we entered at, made sure to destroy it as well, and continued back to the ship.

Shortly after arriving back on the ship, we all collapsed into the hammocks below deck. Sore, cold and exhausted, it was only moments before snores began to fill the area. The snores soon faded, along with the hammock. I was surrounded by darkness, floating in the midst of it. A figure appeared before me, a man with messy brown hair and a long green robe. It took me a moment to realize I was staring at myself, or at least something that looked like me. What happened after that was a blur, I woke up in a daze and felt like I had forgotten something important, but was at a loss for what. I thought about what it could be, but soon my mind drifted to other things, like the events that had taken place yesterday.

I looked around the deck, feeling a bit depressed about our mission having such a mixed outcome. Sure we had done our job, but we lost five people in the process. The others seemed to be feeling the same, Valen and Barbarius were sitting near the stern, talking quietly about something. I knew Schimmel was still sound asleep, his snoring was the reason I came up on deck instead of going back to sleep, but I didn't see Bryenn anywhere. Razelus was staring out across the ocean with a gloomy expression on his face. Ruby on the other hand, was pacing at the bow, muttering angrily to herself. Unable to stop my curiosity, I decided to ask her what was wrong.

"WHAT'S WRONG?!" Ruby yelled. "I'll tell you what's wrong! If that stupid little Bosmer hadn't ditched us things might not have gone that badly!"

"Stupid little... you mean Fargoth?" I asked nervously.

"Who else!? I swear, when we get back to Suran I'm gonna kill that little wimp!"

"You know that'll get you expelled from the guild..."

"Fine, I won't kill him! I'll get permission from the jolly jerk to hurt him, then I'll shove that lute of his right up his-"

SLAM! Ruby looked over at Schimmel, who had just dropped the door leading below the deck and still looked half asleep. I didn't notice, I was still wondering about something she said.

"Jolly jerk...? You mean Parven?" I asked.

"Nobody else fits that description do they? Well, maybe Raz when he's not depressed, but he could never be as much of a slimeball as Parven." Ruby said coldly.

"What are you on about? What has-"

"Oh nothing. Nevermind." Ruby said quickly, running off before I could finish my sentence.

It was slightly annoying that she left so suddenly without answering. I understood why Parven could be considered a jerk sometimes, but from her tone of voice I started to wonder if she outright hated him. I figured it would be best to leave her alone for now, the way she was going on about Fargoth and her frigid attitude toward Parven, I knew getting on Ruby's bad side would be a big mistake.

--

The rest of the trip back to Vivec was uneventful, apart from Ruby's constant cursing of Fargoth, an occasional dreary sigh coming from Razelus's direction and Schimmel almost falling overboard once. At Vivec we piled into two smaller boats that would take us back to Suran, but Razelus parted ways with us at Vivec, saying he had to make a stop at the Mages' Guild and to go back without him.

When we got back to Suran, Ruby took two steps away from the boat and stopped abruptly. Fargoth was leaning against a building nearby, playing his lute for a few of the townsfolk. Ruby didn't seem to notice them, she grabbed a throwing knife from her belt and hurled it at Fargoth. It struck the wall barely two inches from his head. He looked at the knife in the wall, at Ruby, and then ran off as fast as his short legs would allow. Ruby charged after him, yelling things that I dare not repeat, and once again making a mental note to never make Ruby angry.

I headed straight for the pub with the others, hoping a stiff drink would help me relax. Trelana was waiting outside the pub door, and hurried over the moment she noticed us.

"Welcome back everyone! I heard about what happened at the base, that must've been horrible... but at least you're all okay." she said, straining to keep her usual cheerful tone.

"Yeah... but I honestly didn't expect it to go that badly." Valen sighed.

"Wait, we only just got back. How could you possibly know what happened to us?" Barbarius asked.

"Oh, Razelus told me. Said he recalled back here from Vivec. He's been in the bar, reporting what happened to Parven and drinking... a lot." Trelana said, glancing back at the pub door.

"Why didn't I think of recalling? I haven't used that spell since... since I almost got slaughtered by Ordinators in Vivec. That's a pleasant memory..." I muttered sarcastically.

"I just noticed something..." Trelana said, looking us over. "Where are Ruby and Bryenn? Razelus said they made it out with the rest of you."

"Ruby chased after Fargoth, shouting profanity and hurling throwing knives at him. Bryenn... wait, now that I think of it... I haven't seen Bryenn since we boarded the ship back at Solstheim." I said, scratching my head.

"We didn't leave him stranded out there did we!?" Valen asked, getting a bit worried.

"He got off the ship at Fort Frostmoth, saying he wanted to check something out there, then stop by Gnisis for some reason. The rest of you were out cold when we passed the fort, that's probably why you didn't know." Schimmel said.

"You woke up first? That's a shock." Ruby chuckled, walking up behind us.

"From there... I'd say he should get back here tomorrow or the day after." Trelana thought aloud. "Why don't we just go get a drink for now?"

"You read my mind." I said, walking by Trelana and entering the pub.

--

Parven took his time getting details about what happened from each of us in the pub. By the time he was finished questioning me, I was ready to shove him off his stool. Parven asked Ruby a few things once he was finished annoying me, she didn't get that angry expression on her face like when she was talking about him on the ship, but I could tell she wasn't pleased about talking to him. A couple minutes later he left the pub, and Ruby took a seat on the barstool between Schimmel and myself.

"I can't stand that man." Ruby said, gritting her teeth.

"Then leave." I said bluntly, still a bit irritated with him myself.

"I really wish I could sometimes." Ruby sighed. "See you two later, I'm gonna take a walk and clear my head." she said, quickly hopping off the stool and leaving the pub.

"What did she mean by that?" I asked, glancing at Schimmel.

"I don't know. She doesn't tell me much when it comes to guild stuff."

"Is there a person called Bryenn here?" someone called out from the doorway.

Everyone shifted in their seats to look. An Imperial wearing a fancy purple robe was looking around the pub.

Barbarius approached him. "He won't be back for a day or two, why?"

"Just my luck. Look, I don't have time to waste waiting around for him. Would you give him this letter for me? I have more important things to do than play delivery boy for some poor town." the man said crossly, thrusting a letter into Barbarius's hands and leaving.

"What was his problem?" Barbarius grumbled, sitting down next to Schimmel. "Look at this, the thing isn't even properly sealed!"

"Let me see that." I said, reaching over and snatching it out of Barbarius's hand before he could reply.

"Hey! You shouldn't read letters that aren't for you!" Barbarius protested.

"_This coming from a thief." _I thought, ignoring him. The seal on the letter appeared to have been broken, not done incorrectly. I flipped it open and started to read the contents.

"What did I just tell you!? Don't you know how to-"

"Shut up Barbie." I said shortly, not looking away from the letter.

"Don't call me that you-!"

"It's always something, look at this. Sounds like it can't wait a day." I said, showing Schimmel the letter.

Schimmel leaned over to read it, and a concerned expression grew on his face.

"Wow, that does sound like trouble." a woman's voice said suddenly, causing all three of us to jump.

"Geez Ruby, don't sneak up on us like that. When did you get back anyway?" Barbarius asked.

"I saw that odd guy leaving and wondered what was going on. The trouble around here never stops." Ruby said, looking at the letter.

"We could just ignore it." I muttered.

"No we can't!" Trelana said sternly, slapping the back of my head. "Bryenn's our friend and we can't just sit around with something like this happening!"

"Geez... you were being so quiet I forgot you were even here, Trelana." I grumbled.

Trelana grabbed the letter, folded it and walked over to Valen. She spoke with him for a moment and handed Bryenn's letter to him. She hurried back to us, grabbed Schimmel's arm in one hand and mine in the other, pulling us both out of the pub with more strength than I believed a normal mage could have. Ruby and Barbarius brought up the rear.

"Valen said he'd give the letter to Bryenn as soon as he got back. Until then we should all hurry and help protect them." Trelana said, still tugging on our arms.

"What did the letter say? You guys never gave me the chance to read it." Barbarius said as he sprinted to keep up.

"Bryenn's hometown, Dagon Fel, has been having more bandit troubles than usual. Seems they've had problems with one group almost every other day. If it keeps up, the town might not last another week." Ruby said, keeping a few steps ahead of Barbarius.

"That's why we have to get there and help them before it's too late!" Trelana shouted, tugging on my arm even harder. "Stop dragging your feet!"


	24. A Sign of Trouble

**Chapter 24: A Sign of Trouble**

"I don't recall volunteering for this." I grumbled, leaning against the ship's mast. "I've spent so much time on boats these last few days it's enough to drive anyone crazy." I gazed out across the water, wondering how much farther it was to Dagon Fel.

"Nobody forced you to come Nem, so stop complaining." Ruby said, pacing.

"Nobody forced me!? Trelana nearly tore my arm off dragging me onto that silt strider! I haven't even had time to buy a new bow because of this... how's Trelana doing anyway?"

"Still feeling uneasy, she's resting at the stern." Barbarius said, walking up to us. "I left Schimmel with her."

"Great plan, he'll probably fall overboard and take Trelana with him. I hope it's... eh? Are you okay Ruby? Your face is turning a bit red... thinking about Parven and getting angry again?"

"It's nothing." Ruby said quickly, walking away from us.

"I'll never understand her..." I muttered.

"That makes two of us." Barbarius chuckled.

"Ugh..." Schimmel groaned, walking unsteadily over to us and looking slightly green.

"Don't tell me you're seasick now, you managed well enough on the trip to Solstheim and back." I said, taking a step away from him. If he was going to puke, I didn't want to be in the line of fire.

"It's not that. Watching other people throw up just... ohh..." Schimmel swayed, grabbing onto the mast for support.

"If you have to puke, do it to your left please. This is the only robe I have with me." I said, taking another step back.

"What!? Are you trying to make him do it on me?!" Barbarius complained, moving away from Schimmel's left side.

"Some friends you two are. He feels sick and both of you are more worried about his aim than his health." Ruby said coldly. She had gotten behind me without any of us noticing, and she was looking like she normally did again, scary. "I should shove both of you overboard. You've probably forgotten about Trelana as well."

"Not at all, I was just about to check on her." I lied, turning and walking off.

"Well, I don't really think he needs support for something like this. It's not that major and he's pretty tough, right Schimmel?" I heard Barbarius say nervously, and give Schimmel a hefty slap on the back. The sounds of Schimmel heaving, a disgusting splatter and a yell followed.

"AHH! My shoes!" Ruby shrieked.

"Oh crap! You okay Schimmel?" Barbarius gasped.

I chuckled, but didn't look back. If Ruby saw me laughing about it she would probably go with her idea of throwing me overboard.

I hurried over to Trelana, who was still leaning over the deck. Her face was much paler than usual. "Feeling any better?" I asked.

She looked up at me and grinned weakly. "I'll be fine once we get to Dagon Fel and make sure it's safe. What about Schimmel?"

"He just spewed on Ruby's shoes from what I heard." I laughed. "You just worry about yourself for now, and Dagon Fel since I'm sure you can't get your mind off it."

"You know me pretty well don't you?"

"I didn't know you got seasick before now. Other than that, I guess I do. You seemed to follow me around when I was staying at the Ald-Ruhn Mages' Guild."

"What are you talking about? You were the one following me around."

"Well the place is so small I guess it's easy to think of it either way." I chuckled. "We did study a lot together though. You always were intent on learning some spell or another."

"Just like you were more interested in alchemy than anything else. How many spells do you know now anyway? Still just Soul Trap and that lightning one I saw before?"

"I know Mark and Recall now as well, of course I hardly ever use them. I never think of using spells until I'm in the middle of a fight. A shame really, since I lost my bow I only have that shockball spell and a dagger to defend myself with. Not to mention my little... problem."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that..." Trelana muttered, she was looking a bit better. It seemed like our conversation was getting her mind off of being ill. "I have a few potions with me, I'll give you a couple for later once we get to Dagon Fel."

"Thanks Trelana, that's another thing I forget about until it's too late." I chuckled.

"Damn it! Are we too late?!" Someone shouted. I looked over and saw smoke beginning to rise from an island up ahead, the same one Dagon Fel was on.

"No... we have to hurry." Trelana muttered, uneasily getting to her feet and walking over to the others. "Are there any shrines in Dagon Fel? I know both intervention spells, so..."

"Don't bother trying, there aren't any." Ruby said calmly. "This boat's not going very fast either, the captain's too worried about hitting one of the rocks to speed up. Worthless fetcher, we'd be faster on foot."

"On foot... that's an idea." Trelana mumbled, beginning to dig through her pockets.

"What are you doing now?" I asked as she pulled out a small bag from inside her robe. I recognized it immediately, she had shown it's contents to me on many occasions when I was staying at the Mages' Guild. "Oh geez, you carry all those with you still?"

"Of course, you never know when they'll come in handy. Now is a perfect time to use some of them. Not this one... no... here's one! You put this one on." She removed a ring from the bag and handed it to Schimmel.

"What is it?" Schimmel asked, examining it a moment before slipping it on his finger.

Trelana was searching through her bag again and didn't answer him. She removed another ring and handed this one to Barbarius. "Okay, I'm sure I had an amulet that would help as well... ah, here it is. Catch Nem." She tossed me an amulet and returned the bag to her robe. "Schimmel, yours is enchanted with water walking. Nem's is levitation, and Barbarius's is a combination of swift swim and water breathing. We should be able to get there quicker with these."

"What about me?" Ruby asked, looking slightly annoyed.

"I can use a water walking spell on you and on myself. If I tried doing that with everyone my energy would be used up by the time we got there." Trelana said, stepping up to the side of the boat. "We should hurry."

I heard Barbarius grumble something about being the only one having to swim and gave him a pat on the shoulder as I passed by. "Be careful Barbie, you don't want to end up as a slaughterfish snack. That'd be a horrible way to die, I should know." I grinned, before taking a running jump off the side of the ship and levitating through the air toward Dagon Fel.

--

I got the first view of Dagon Fel, it was chaotic. Small fires had started in various places, and houses were partially destroyed. The few guards at Dagon Fel were holding up fairly well against the attackers, but were severely outnumbered. Schimmel and Ruby were the first ones to make it to the city, Trelana was doing her best to keep up with them. The three of them hurried to the east entrance of the city, where most of them seemed to be coming from. I looked down to see Barbarius struggling to keep moving, there were more slaughterfish in the area than I thought possible.

I descended until I was a couple feet above him. "Barbie, would you stop playing with the fish and hurry up?"

"Damn it, don't- OW! There're too many of these stupid things! They keep biting my- OW!" Barbarius yelled, stabbing wildly at the countless slaughterfish around him.

"Give me your hand, I'll carry you the rest of the way... if I can even lift you." I sighed, reaching down to him.

"Thanks." Barbarius said, ignoring the comment and grabbing my arm.

I held on as long as I could, but just before we reached the shore both of us suddenly dropped like rocks into the water. We were so close to the shore the water only rose an inch or two above our knees, but the landing was so bad we were both drenched.

"Why did you do that?!" Barbarius complained.

"It wasn't by choice! The amulet Trelana gave me ran out of charge. Now can we get a move on before this town gets leveled?!" I shouted, running as quickly as I could out of the water and into the town.

By the time Barbarius and I got to the east end of town, there were only three bandits left, and two guards that clearly had the upper hand. I turned and dashed to the west end of Dagon Fel, but Barbarius ran over to aid the guards. The west end was in the same condition, hardly any bandits left and the few still alive were retreating.

"Well that wasn't worth the rush." I grumbled, looking around at the few bandit corpses that littered the ground.

"Maybe not, but at least we were able to help, even if just a little bit." Trelana said cheerfully as she ran over to me. "Huh? Why're you all wet?"

"You either need to get a different hobby, or start collecting some enchanted jewelry that isn't crap." I said, giving her back the amulet.

"You collect enchanted stuff?" Schimmel asked, walking up beside us.

Before Trelana could respond to either of us, Ruby's voice rang out. "Schimmel you idiot! Watch out!" she screamed, just before tackling Schimmel to the ground.

"Oh no... Ruby!" Trelana gasped.

An arrow was stuck in Ruby's back, and she wasn't moving. I looked up at the road out of the city and saw an archer begin to flee. I took a step forward to chase after him, when an orb of light suddenly shot down from the sky, struck the ground near the archer and erupted in a blaze of fire.

"Sneaky fetchers, they deserve much worse than that!" Someone shouted.

Floating in the air above us were four people, by the spell and the voice I knew two of them had to be Razelus and Valen, and they wouldn't be here without Bryenn. The fourth person was wearing a blue robe, but I wasn't sure what to think after seeing his face.


	25. Vexed

**Chapter 25: Vexed**

I leaned against the wall, tapping my foot impatiently. Trelana was in the next room with the best healer we could find in Dagon Fel, looking after Ruby and Schimmel. The only other people in the room with me were Barbarius and the man in the blue robe. Bryenn and Valen had gone to ask the residents about where we might find the bandit's camp, while Razelus was using his levitation spell to search for it himself.

"So... why are you here anyway? I was beginning to think you didn't like to get your hands dirty, then you show up out of nowhere. It's a bit confusing." I said in what I hoped was a normal tone. "Finally decide to prove you're not just a lazy fetcher that sits around while making everyone else work to death, Parven?"

Parven, who had been staring at a potted gold kanet on the table next to him, turned to me and grinned the same daft grin he always seemed to don. "I suppose it must seem that way to some. It does tend to get quite boring being stuck in Suran without seeing any action. I honestly came because I couldn't take it any longer, it has been far too long since I've..." Parven quickly looked back at the gold kanet and coughed. I thought the expression on his face changed a bit before he did, but it was so brief I wondered if I could have imagined it. "Well, since I've shown everyone I'm not just 'a lazy fetcher that sits around' as you so bluntly put it." he continued with a chuckle, keeping his gaze on the flower.

"Sorry if it seemed rude, but it's just what I thought. I've never actually seen you fight, so it made me question how strong you are." I said, glancing at the door and wondering how much longer we were going to have to wait.

"Yes, others in the guild have also questioned my ability on the battlefield. They however, did not have the guts to say it to my face. I must seem useless, much like this flower. It sits there without much purpose except for appearances, until it's used in a potion and it's true powers are revealed. Once it's needed, it will prove how useful it truly is, just as I will. For now, there's something I need to check on." Parven grinned, standing up and walking out the front door.

After he left Barbarius gave me a confused look. "Did you understand what he was talking about? I sure didn't..."

I thought about it for a moment and laughed. "He's like a gold kanet all right. Ever since I've met him my luck has been worse than usual, I've had more near-death experiences than I can count and his missions are nothing but a burden. Not to mention how cheap he is... joining this guild for money was a mistake."

"What did you do before joining this guild?" Barbarius asked.

"Wandered around, did a few odd jobs for the Mages' Guild and made most of my money working as an amateur alchemist. It paid more than this and was generally safer to be honest, even if a bit dull at times. What about you? You must have been doing something before the idiots at ASP messed up your life in Solstheim."

"I was a hunter. Probably the most common job you can find there. I had been thinking about leaving before ever running into the group from ASP, they just gave me more reason to finally stop putting it off and leave."

"A hunter huh? What about that invisibility spell you use sometimes? I wasn't aware of any groups that studied the school of illusion up there."

"I didn't learn it... nobody I knew even practiced magicka."

"You didn't... that doesn't make any sense. How can you-"

The door to the next room opened suddenly and Trelana stepped through. "Well, that's all taken care of." she said, taking a seat in the chair Parven had been using. "They're both back to good health."

"What happened to Schimmel anyway? Ruby's the one that was shot, so why did he pass out as well?" Barbarius asked, the conversation we were just having seemingly wiped from his mind.

"The arrowhead went all the way through Ruby and got Schimmel as well, but the reason he fainted was probably because he hit his head on a rock or something when he hit the ground. There was a bit of a lump on the back of his head where it struck. Ruby was lucky nothing vital was hit." Trelana explained. "I'm glad they're both okay, and that Razelus toasted that stupid archer."

"Yeah. I hope they're ready to get going soon, I want to hurry up and find the bandit's encampment. The sooner we slaughter them, the better." I muttered.

"Bloodlust from someone claiming to be a scholar. That's hard to believe." Ruby said, stumbling a bit as she stepped into the room with Schimmel close behind her.

"It's not bloodlust, it's just irritating. Think about it, we haven't had much time to just relax lately. I can't remember the last day I spent just making potions or reading. Ever since I joined this daft guild it's been one thing after another, I must've almost died at least twenty times on these missions and the pay doesn't seem worth it." I complained.

"Why not quit then?" Schimmel asked.

I opened my mouth to reply, but no words came. Why DIDN'T I just quit and go back to being a normal scholar and amateur alchemist? I stood up and walked over to the door, glancing over my shoulder at Schimmel when I got there. "Good question. Once I know the answer I'll tell you." I said, before heading through the door.

I was resting on a rock near the Dagon Fel docks, staring blankly at the water. I don't know for how long, my mind was wandering, trying to come up with the reason I didn't just quit Forlorn. It seemed like the smartest thing to do, but something was keeping me there, something important, but I was oblivious as to what it could be. I was ready to start beating my head on the rock out of frustration when soft voices came from my left.

"It's been a while since I've seen that expression. In deep thought about something but can't come up with an answer. At about this point he would usually grab a bow and go shoot a cliff racer to vent some anger." One of them whispered.

"So he does have a hint of bloodlust at times, I knew it." another voice murmured.

"If I'd have known asking him something like that would cause this..." a third muttered.

"I feel like I'm on display... should I start charging a fee?" I grumbled, looking over at Trelana, Ruby and Schimmel. "Shouldn't you be asking around about those bandits?"

"That's why we came here, Razelus found it when he was gone and we came to see which team you wanted to be on." Trelana said.

"Team? What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Ruby, Raz and Val are going to stay behind to help protect the town, just in case they attack again. The rest of us are going, what about you?"

"Like you have to ask." I chuckled, standing up and stretching. "If Parven is going to get his hands dirty, I don't want to miss it."

The six of us traveled to the south edge of the island Dagon Fel was on, blasting countless cliff racers out of the sky along the way. It wasn't long before we found the bandit's encampment, Razelus gave us very clear directions when we left. It was on a smaller island just south of the one Dagon Fel was on. Every side of the island had fairly tall mounds hiding the center except the northwest corner.

Parven ordered us about as usual, he was going to strike from the front and get their attention. Bryenn was to go around and sneak in the back to find the leader. The rest of us were to go on each side and box them in, Barbarius was paired with Trelana, and I was teamed up with Schimmel because of our "prior experience as a team" as Parven put it. I guessed he meant the time we got that staff, little did he know that I had almost killed Schimmel a few times on that mission.

It was easy enough to get into position, the side Schimmel and I were on had a narrow slope that we could walk up. We were there for a couple minutes, waiting for Parven to begin his attack, and I was getting restless. There were quite a few trees and plants on the way down from where we were, it would be easy to sneak up to the camp from this direction. I thought about it for a moment, then told Schimmel to wait here before starting down the hillside since I was worried he might trip, tumble down into the camp and have the guards on us in seconds.

There were fewer bandits patrolling the camp than I expected. I was scanning the camp, wondering why Parven hadn't started the attack yet, when I heard shouting coming from one of the few ramshackle huts nearby. I crept up to the side of it, made a small hole in the wall with my dagger and pressed my ear against it.

An angry voice was coming from inside the hut. "...again and again. Keep it under control. Once again you failed, miserably. Consider this your final warning, and to make sure it sticks this time..."

A panicked voice followed. "Wait... what are you doing with that...? No... don't!"

The blade of sword, stained red with fresh blood, ripped through the side of the hut barely three inches from my face. I fell backwards from the shock, but luckily there were no bandits nearby when I did.

The blade was pulled back into the hut, there was the sound of a body falling to the ground, and the panicked voice piped up again. "That... that seemed a bit harsh... I mean..."

"Shut up! If you screw up one more time, you'll be the one dead on the ground. Understand Rodran?!"

"Rodran?" I muttered, finally getting back up and peering through the hole made by the sword. It was Rodran, the swordsman from ASP I met on my very first mission for Forlorn. He didn't look like he did before though, during our last meetings he seemed confident, a tad psychotic and of course like a coward since he fled after our last meeting. Right now he seemed like nothing more than a coward.

The man he was talking to, a Redguard, was pointing a sword at Rodran's chest with a slightly smug expression. That's when I realized I knew who he was as well, I met him in Gnisis shortly after meeting Bryenn. Chris Mortifer, the fetcher that commanded the attack on Gnisis, was at it again. Still, I couldn't help wondering why he was so angry with Rodran.

I turned away and started creeping back to where Schimmel was waiting. I was halfway to the base of the mound when an explosion at the front of the camp made me jump. I didn't get to take another step before Rodran and Mortifer had run out of the hut to investigate and spotted me.


	26. Past Transgressions

**Chapter 26: Past Transgressions**

"You... you're here to screw my life up again aren't you?!" Rodran shouted.

"What? Screw up your life...?" I hesitated, glancing back at the mound for a second. I knew I couldn't outrun them, and attempting to fight them both alone would be suicide. I only saw one way out, to stall them somehow until Schimmel arrived.

"It's only fair, you've screwed up enough lives yourself terrorizing the people of Dagon Fel and Sadrith Mora!" I shouted back at Rodran, then turned to Chris. "Not to mention you for attacking Gnisis!"

"Ah, yes, now I remember. You were that archer. Could that mean... the other one is here as well? The one with the flaming sword?" Chris asked rather casually.

"Of course, and I'm sure he's going to give you a piece of his mind for what you've been doing to Dagon Fel!"

"What has been happening there is not my doing. This fool can't keep his hired help under control, or he just enjoys it, I can't tell which." Chris gave Rodran an irritated look. "You'd think he'd know better considering..."

"Considering... what?" I asked, getting confused again.

"Oh right... what's your name again?" Chris asked suddenly.

"Uh... Nem, why?"

"Nem... his name was on the list we got, right?" Chris asked Rodran.

"Yeah it was. Let me take care of him though. I've got a score to settle." Rodran said, unsheathing his sword.

"Fine, just don't screw up again or Jiub will have your head. I'm going to go find that flaming swordsman, I've been looking forward to a proper match against him." Chris said, turning and walking off.

Rodran watched as he left, then looked back at me with a twisted grin on his face. "Ready for the fight of your life?"

"You're kidding me, right? I took you down with a lantern and scroll the first time and the second wasn't much different. You're nothing but a joke of a fighter, and a stale joke at that." I said coldly, feeling much more confident since it was a fair fight now.

"You've got some nerve... if I didn't hold back you'd have died back in that cave. I'd love to show you my real strength." Rodran growled.

"Stop bluffing, you were serious back then. There was no reason not to be."

"Shows what you know... I-"

A scream interrupted Rodran. I looked over my shoulder at the hillside to see Schimmel charging down it, and a rather large log was rolling down after him. He shouted something, but I was too dumbstruck by the sight to understand what it was.

I snapped back to my senses and turned to run just before Schimmel passed by me. Rodran was still standing there, looking as stupid as I must have. I hit him with a shockball spell while he was focused on the log, knocking him over. A hollow thud told me that Rodran wasn't able to get up in time, or that Schimmel had tripped. I glanced back to see Rodran on the ground unconscious, and the log slowing to a stop.

I came to a halt, examining the log for a moment. "How the hell did you manage to do that?" I wondered aloud.

"Well, it wasn't intentional. These things just sort of happen." Schimmel laughed nervously.

"Only to you. Maybe you have a problem similar to mine, or you're just one of the biggest klutzes I've ever met." I laughed, beginning to walk off. "For now we should find Bryenn, that jerk Mortifer is bound to be giving him trouble by now."

"A problem...? What do you mean?" Schimmel asked, following after me.

"The easiest explanation is... I'm cursed. I'll explain it to you later, we should help them out now." I pointed to Trelana and Barbarius, who were currently fighting off half a dozen bandits.

The moment I did, an orb of fire streaked out of nowhere, hit the ground between us and the group, and a massive explosion sent all of us flying.

Everything went black for a moment after the explosion, but it was a bit too difficult to stay unconscious with the throbbing pain in my arm. I groaned, rubbing the shoulder I must have landed on. There was a small crater where the spell had hit. I looked around in a bit of a daze. Schimmel was climbing to his feet already, but Barbarius and Trelana, along with the bandits that were nearby, were all sprawled on the ground.

"What the... are you two okay?!" someone yelled. Armor could be heard clunking behind us as Bryenn came running to help.

"I think so, but Trelana and Barbarius..." Schimmel said as Bryenn pulled me to my feet.

"If that was Razelus I'm gonna kick his- OW! My head... ohh..." I heard Barbarius shout.

"Well he seems well enough... but..." I mumbled, glancing at where Trelana had been. She was also sitting up, and must have thrown something at Barbarius by the look he was giving her.

"Why'd you do that Trelana?!" Barbarius demanded.

"You got behind me right before that explosion! It's not as much as you deserve for using me as a shield, jerk!" Trelana retorted.

"I didn't even know it was coming! There was a bandit coming at you from behind so I went to stop him! You really think I'd do something like using an ally as a shield?!"

"Well-"

Another explosion came from the front of the camp, a body soared over one of the huts and landed on the ground not far from Schimmel.

"Damn... him..." the person muttered, then vanished in a flash of light.

Parven stepped around the hut a moment later. "Did you see where he landed?" he asked rather casually.

"He just used an intervention spell..." Bryenn said.

"Not surprising. He's one of Jiub's five partners, he won't be easy to kill once he stops holding back and shows his real power." Parven sighed.

"I didn't get a good look at his face just now, but I recall Rodran saying something about not being able to show me his real strength. Was he the one you just blasted?" I inquired.

"Rodran was here as well? Interesting. He's one of Jiub's inner circle as well, probably the weakest of the lot. It was Mortifer that I sent flying though. If they were both here, they might have been attempting to establish a new base. It's a good thing we came."

"You said five, right? Rodran and Mortifer, who are the other three?" I asked a bit impatiently.

"There is an Altmer by the name of Harnaten, an Imperial named Rachel, and a Breton- oh wait. Forget about the Breton. I almost forgot I killed her a year or so ago." Parven chuckled. "Rachel is probably the strongest of those four, followed by Mortifer, Harnaten and Rodran respectively. However, none of them hold a candle to Jiub, or myself for that matter."

"You could have told us about them sooner..." Barbarius complained.

"Well, you never asked so..." Parven chuckled again. "Sorry, but I really should be getting back to Suran now. Farewell!" he then vanished in a flash, just like Mortifer only moments ago.

"Now I know why Ruby seems to want to strangle him. I feel like that sometimes as well." I grumbled.

"Now, now... you can think about that some other time. Right now we should tell everyone in Dagon Fel the good news." Trelana said.

"She's right. It's going to be dark soon, so we had better hurry." Schimmel said, looking up at the sky.

--

The five of us headed north, back to Dagon Fel. Bryenn was leading the way, talking with Trelana about something. Barbarius and Schimmel weren't far behind them, but I was trailing behind, thinking about Parven and Jiub.

"You look like you did before we left Dagon Fel, everything okay?" Schimmel asked, slowing down until he was walking only a couple steps ahead of me. Barbarius did the same.

"I don't know about 'everything' but... I think I have an answer for your question." I mumbled, my mind still wandering.

"What question?" Schimmel wondered.

"Maybe he means about when you asked him why he didn't quit Forlorn." Barbarius suggested.

"Yeah, that's the one. I've decided, I can't quit. Not until I know a bit more about the bad blood between Parven and Jiub, there must be a reason they hate each other." I said, staring at the ground as I walked. "I just can't figure out what it is."

"I've never really thought about it to be honest." Barbarius said, scratching his head.

Schimmel said nothing for a few seconds, thinking about something before responding. "I've... been thinking about that for a while. Nobody else I've asked at the guild knew anything either. Parven's past is a mystery to everyone."

"So for all anyone knows, he didn't even exist until founding this guild?" Barbarius wondered.

"Or he's from somewhere far away. Now that I think about it, I don't know anything about your pasts either, not anything detailed at least." Schimmel thought aloud.

"I'm a hunter from Solstheim, what's to tell?" Barbarius chuckled.

"A thief you mean." I muttered.

"That was just a temporary thing while I was at Raven Rock!"

"Sure..."

"What about you Nem?" Schimmel asked.

"You know about mine. I told you pretty much everything when we were stuck in Ald-Ruhn for a while."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. But... you never mentioned that curse then."

"Curse?" Barbarius inquired.

"Are you still calling it that?" Trelana laughed, joining our conversation. "It's not a curse. He was born under the sign of the Atronach, that's all."

"It might as well be." I grumbled, then turned to Barbarius. "Wait... that explains why you can turn invisible without learning the spell. You must have been born under... the Shadow?"

"Yeah, but I also have this." Barbarius reached under his shirt collar and pulled an amulet from underneath it. "This is enchanted with a chameleon spell, it's a family treasure of sorts."

"Ohh..." Trelana said in awe, examining it.

"Don't let her hold it, it'll vanish into her bag of enchanted trinkets and you'll never see it again." I said with a grin.

"I'm no thief!"

"It was a joke, lighten up." I chuckled. "I wonder... what's-"

"What are you four doing? Stop lagging behind!" Bryenn yelled back to us. He was already at the entrance of Dagon Fel, and seemed to have been waiting there a while.

"Oh geez... I don't know if I can handle anymore time on a ship." I sighed, coming to a halt. "I'm just going to recall to Vivec, see you all back in Suran." I gave them a small wave and watched Dagon Fel vanish before my eyes. A moment later I was standing outside of Vivec's Foreign Quarter.

"This dismal place again... I might as well do what I had planned." I muttered, making my way over the bridge leading into Vivec.


	27. An Ally Lost

**Chapter 27: An Ally Lost**

"Well, there goes most of my spare gold... it was worth it though!" I smiled, adjusting the bag of books on my shoulder as I exited the bookstore. I stumbled a bit from the weight, accidentally bumping into an Ordinator.

"Watch it, Breton." he grunted.

"Ah, sorry." I said nervously, taking a step back. I suddenly remembered how my last encounter with two of them had left me nearly dead, and I didn't want to give them the chance to get it right this time. "I don't mean to keep you from your duties, please excuse me." I walked quickly past the Ordinator and to the outside area of the Foreign Quarter.

"That was just... forget it, you've done nothing wrong, so they won't bother you." I muttered to myself. "Now, should I go back to Suran... or try finding that other book in Balmora? Hmm... Balmora!" I hurried up the passage to where the door to the plaza was, but stopped halfway as someone shouted.

"You there, hold it!"

I turned back to see an Ordinator at the bottom of the passage. "What, did I drop something?" I asked, feeling a bit nervous again.

"In a sense, the Dunmer you shot dropped. Then you did after my partner and I cut you up pretty well and shoved you off the bridge. I see we underestimated you, murderer." he said coldly.

The nervousness was suddenly replaced by a knot in my stomach. "I don't..."

"Don't try to deny it. I know it was you. I can tell by your face, and your voice." he said as he unsheathed his sword.

"I was just doing my job, which happened to be to kill that guy. It's not like I go around killing random people!"

"I don't care. I have to do my job as well, and that means hunting down outlaws like you!" he pointed his sword at me and charged forward.

"Moron." I muttered, quickly casting recall and appearing outside Vivec just before he got within reach. I glanced up at the Foreign Quarter before dashing to the silt strider and asking for transport to Suran. "Looks like I'm not gonna make it to Balmora anytime soon, what a pity." I sighed, hopping onto the silt strider.

--

"Nem... you've been sitting here for nearly five hours, shouldn't you get some sleep, or at least eat something?" someone asked.

I set my new copy of 'The Real Barenziah v IV' on the table, just having finished it. I glanced up at Valen, who was standing across the table from me, his face partially obscured by the pile of books resting on the table. "I still have one more left to read, so not yet." I said stubbornly, reaching for volume five.

"You're all nuts... what's so great about reading?" Valen asked with a sigh.

"It's something those with intellect enjoy, not a trait you show very often, dear brother." Razelus said rather smugly, not turning away from the copy of 'The Monomyth' in his hands.

"You don't have to be rude about it!" Valen snapped.

"It's been a while since any of us could just sit back and relax. Besides, five hours is nothing. Back in the Mages' Guild, Nem and I spent well over ten hours reading on more than one occasion." Trelana smiled from behind her copy of 'The Firmament'.

"I guess I can understand why you three are here, but what about them?!" Valen pointed at Schimmel and Barbarius. Schimmel was absorbed in a book entitled 'Trap', while Barbarius read through one called 'A Less Rude Song' and chuckled occasionally.

"I've come to realize that Schimmel is smarter than he lets on, and Barbarius could stand to learn a thing or two. Although reading something as daft as that won't help him." I said, flipping the page. Barbarius didn't react.

"Razelus..." Trelana said suddenly. "Would your sign happen to be the mage?"

"Oh... why, yes." Razelus said, a bit surprised by her question. "Is it that obvious?"

"A bit... right Nem?" Trelana giggled slightly, discreetly tapping her finger on the book's cover.

I stared at her blankly for a moment, wondering what she was going on about. Then I remembered the book she was reading listed the constellations and their effects. It also said that those born under the sign of the mage had a tendency to be arrogant. "Oh yeah, just a bit." I grinned, doing my best not to laugh at how true it was.

"If I ever see a vampire... I'm going to run like hell." Schimmel muttered, setting his book on the table.

"Yeah, that's a pretty... disturbing book. Have Barbie read it, maybe it'll change his mind about being a thief." I said with a laugh. Barbarius ignored me once again.

"It's a miracle, he's holding a book!" Razelus exclaimed.

"Oh shut up." Valen grumbled, opening 'Legions of the Dead'.

Trelana sighed. "I can't figure it out. Which sign were you born under Schimmel? The steed?"

Schimmel shook his head. "No, but Ruby was."

"Interesting... but what about you?" Trelana asked again.

"I was..." Schimmel began.

"We've got problems again!" Bryenn announced as he walked into the tavern, interrupting Schimmel. He walked over to our table, pushed a few books out of the way and dropped a crossbow and lute onto the table. Both were broken and bloodstained.

"These... don't they belong to..." Trelana stuttered.

"They're Fargoth's. I found them just outside town, but not him." Bryenn said.

"He's probably dead... by the look of it." Razelus said bluntly.

"Don't say things like that!" Trelana yelled, smacking him in the head with her book.

"He's not the first. A couple other members have gone missing as well, but nothing of theirs was ever found so everyone just assumed they left of their own accord." Valen said, picking up half of the broken lute.

"I'll bet fifty septims that ASP is behind it." Barbarius muttered.

"We'd better watch our backs from now on. Fargoth may have been a bit of an idiot, but he was a decent fighter. Whoever got him was no weakling." I said, glancing around the tavern.

"Where's Ruby? I haven't seen her for a while... you don't think..." Trelana began.

"Don't worry... she said she was going to bed a while ago. You must have been too interested in that book to notice." Schimmel said calmly.

"Bed... sounds nice..." I muttered. "The book can wait and Fargoth is probably long gone by now. I'm gonna get some sleep and worry about it later."

"Yes, we don't have enough information to seek him out now." Razelus said, leaning back in his chair. "We can bring this matter to Parven's attention tomorrow."

--

I stumbled back into the tavern hours later, still half asleep. It had been a horrible night, one nightmare after another. I couldn't seem to remember any details, but I didn't think it mattered, they were just dreams after all. Schimmel and Trelana were sitting at the bar, deep in conversation about something. Barbarius and Ruby were having what looked like a contest, hurling throwing knives into a makeshift dartboard that had been mounted on the wall, it appeared to be the seat of a broken barstool. Valen was, surprisingly, sitting in the corner reading a book, and had a couple more resting on the table he was at. A few other guild members were about the tavern as well, but I didn't know any of them other than by appearances, and I was in no mood to try making new friends. I ordered some tea and walked over to join Valen since most of the other tables were either being used or too close to other people, or dangerously close to Ruby and Barbarius's line of fire.

"Morning Val." I mumbled, sitting down across from him.

"Afternoon Nem, and I already got commentary about my 'uncharacteristic interest in reading' from my brother, so please don't add to it." he said in a slightly irritated tone.

"Didn't plan to. I'm not awake enough to attempt to annoy people. Right now I just want some tea... did you all talk to Parven about Fargoth yet?"

"Raz and Bryenn left to talk with him a few minutes ago. They should... nevermind, here they are now." Valen said, setting his book down.

Razelus came over to sit with us while Bryenn got everyone else's attention. "Well, what did he have to say?" Trelana asked as everyone in our small group gathered around the table.

"He said the ASP abducted Fargoth, and killed him." Razelus said bluntly.

"What!?" Trelana gasped. "No... he must be wrong, there's no proof that Fargoth is..."

"He got a note from ASP shortly after Fargoth went missing. It said... what Raz just said." Bryenn muttered.

"What garbage!" Ruby said fiercely. "Did he show you the note?"

"Yes. He also said that we would get the chance to avenge Fargoth and the others that were taken soon." Razelus stated.

"How would we do that?" Schimmel asked.

"His informants might have found out the location of another base. He's just waiting for confirmation." Bryenn said.

"Confirmation confirmed. I'm glad to find you all together as usual, it makes things easier." Parven said brightly, popping out of nowhere as he tended to do.

"Another suicide mission?" I grumbled, still half asleep.

"Well it probably won't be easy, but you should know by now that's nothing new." Parven chortled.

"What boring place are we going this time? Hla Oad? Maar Gan? Maybe back to Solstheim for another romp through the snow? That sounds grand." Valen said sarcastically, looking down at his book again.

"Actually, my sources tell me that the next base is located somewhere in Mournhold."

I choked on my tea after hearing this. "Are you serious?!" I asked between coughs.

"Very. I want you eight to find it and take it down. Simple enough, right? I've arranged transport for all of you, but I'm afraid you won't be leaving for three days. Take the time to train, relax, or do whatever you must, just don't forget." Parven said before walking off.

"Mournhold... finally somewhere not in the middle of nowhere." Valen commented.

"I've always wanted to go there... but three days." I muttered, wondering what I could do until then.

"He didn't even tell us where to start looking once we get there... this is going to be a headache." Valen complained, heading over to the bar. Trelana and Schimmel followed after him.

Barbarius turned to Ruby "Shall we continue our game then? It's sort of like training."

"Training that I'm winning by nearly twenty points." Ruby grinned, hurrying back to their barstool dart game.

"Training..." I mumbled. "Razelus, would you be willing to help me train my alteration skills a bit?"

"I have a better idea, come with me." Razelus said with a grin.


	28. City of Light and Magic

**Chapter 28: City of Light and Magic**

The next couple of days passed slowly. I spent most of them with Razelus, who was kind enough to teach me a water walking spell and a rather weak fireball one. He also gave me a few tips on widening the range of my shockball spell at the cost of weakening it slightly. I also took the time to buy a new bow, and once each day Barbarius, Ruby, Valen and I got together for marksmanship 'training' in the form of a contest. It became clear after the first round that three of us were outmatched. Ruby was an assassin after all, there was no way the rest of us could hope to best her.

Schimmel was more focused on his swordsmanship. He spent a majority of his time either fighting monsters or sparring against someone. Bryenn and Ruby were the only ones that stood much of a chance against him, Barbarius might have had a chance if he used his invisibility spell, but I doubted it. I only tried taking him on once, it was a very short fight and I was lucky Trelana was there to heal me so the long slash along my arm didn't leave a scar.

Bryenn, Valen and Barbarius seemed to wander off for hours at a time. I'm not positive where they went, since they all gave me different answers when I asked. Bryenn claimed they were seeking out evil, or some such nonsense. Valen said it was a monster slaughter, which I found most likely since they always returned with plenty of racer plumes and the like. Barbarius mentioned treasure hunting, but the most valuable thing I saw them return with was a small pouch of void salts, which I managed to buy off him for half the normal price.

Trelana didn't seem to be doing any training. She seemed to go where the mood took her. Sparring with Schimmel, helping me work on my alteration, reading or wandering off somewhere, she was too difficult to keep track of. Ruby was even worse though, she vanished without a trace almost as much as the other three, but gave no explanation as to why other than needing some time alone.

--

The day we were supposed to leave for Mournhold came, but we hadn't heard anything from Parven about how we were getting there. Trying to ask him was out of the question, since nobody knew where he was at the moment, so we decided to kill time with another marksmanship contest. We were just down the path between the guild HQ and the bridge leading to the many farms near Suran, and had just finished our fourth round.

"Another perfect set for Ruby! That's one hundred and twenty points!" Trelana called out.

"Way to go Ruby!" Schimmel cheered.

"Big surprise..." Valen muttered sarcastically.

"What's the score now?" Bryenn asked.

"Ruby's winning, obviously. Valen's in second at one hundred and two points, Nem's third with eighty-five points and Barbarius is bringing up the rear with sixty-seven points." Razelus stated.

"At least I can beat Barbie." I laughed.

"I'm just having an off day, you came in last place the other two times we did this, and don't call me that!" Barbarius complained.

"It's nice to see you all in such high spirits!" Parven called out suddenly. He was walking over the bridge, waving. A tall, hooded person was walking behind him. "This is..." Parven began, but stopped when the person placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. "Oh yes, sorry. This is a friend of mine. He will transport you to Mournhold."

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't completely legal?" Valen asked.

"Now you're just being silly." Parven laughed. "Do your thing, friend."

--

The hooded person held up his right hand and a flash of light blinded me. I rubbed my eyes, wishing the stinging would stop. My vision slowly came back, but everything seemed darker than before. I looked up and realized why, I wasn't standing outside Suran any longer, it seemed to be a large, dimly lit dungeon.

"What the hell was that?!" Valen yelled from behind me. I turned and saw everyone else there as well, each looking as clueless as the last.

"I think a better question is where the hell are we?" Ruby said, examining the area.

"We must be somewhere in Mournhold. But where?" Razelus wondered.

"Um..." Schimmel mumbled.

"If I had to guess, I'd say underneath it. The sewers maybe?" Trelana suggested.

"Makes sense, now how do we get out of here and into the city?" Bryenn asked.

"Everyone..." Schimmel mumbled again.

"That's obvious, we go up!" Barbarius said.

"Lets start looking for a ladder then." Valen said.

"If you would just listen to me, I could have told you the way up shortly after we got here. I appeared right next to it." Schimmel yelled, peering down at us through a hole from the top of a ladder built into the wall next to us. "Are you coming now, or should I close it back up?"

--

After climbing up the ladder we found ourselves overlooking The Great Bazaar. There were fewer people about than I expected, I thought a place like Mournhold would be crowded but it seemed average even when compared to Suran.

"It's not what most people think it would be, but it's a very nice city anyway." Razelus said.

"You've been here before?" I asked.

"Once, a few months ago. It wasn't for very long though, so I didn't get much chance to look around the city."

"At least you got to visit. I wasn't able to." Valen grumbled.

"It's not my fault my old job took me to such places. I would have brought you along if I would have had the time to go and get you. You know how my boss could get though, and I had to get it there quickly." Razelus said, glancing around the city.

"What sort of job would bring you here?" Bryenn asked.

"One... that I'm not willing to speak of." Razelus muttered.

"I figured you would have just worked for the Mages' Guild, but with your skills... and considering..." Trelana trailed off.

"We can worry about old jobs later, we should focus on our current one right now." Ruby said.

"You're right as usual, where should we start looking?" Schimmel wondered.

"Parven didn't give us much info..." Barbarius complained.

"Does he ever? The fetcher..." Ruby grumbled.

"We know there's a base somewhere in this city. We just have to get more details... asking around is the easiest solution. Although that could warn them about us, so if we do that we should be subtle about how we ask." Razelus suggested.

"I think we already attract enough attention, we're not exactly a small group." Ruby commented.

"You think we should split up then?" Bryenn asked.

"That would be best. Let me think... the plaza, the bazaar, the palace, the temple and Godsreach. The plaza isn't much of a gathering point, so we should focus on the other areas. Four pairs... who goes with who is the question." Razelus stated.

"Well, I want to go to Godsreach first." I said.

"I'll go with you then, there's something I wanted to see there anyway." Ruby said.

"I'm going to the palace, anyone else interested in seeing it?" Razelus inquired.

"I am. After all, I left Solstheim to see new places." Barbarius said with a grin.

"I thought you were driven out by the ASP." I muttered.

"That too, so shut up." Barbarius grumbled.

"I want to search the shops! They must have a few unique things, maybe I can find something for my collection!" Trelana said brightly, then grabbed Schimmel's arm. "They might have what you were looking for as well, Schimmel!"

"Huh? Oh... right. Okay, I'll go with you then." Schimmel stuttered.

"That leaves the temple for us? How dull." Valen commented.

"It can't be that bad..." Bryenn mumbled.

"There's a tavern called The Winged Guar in Godsreach, we should meet up there later." Razelus said, starting to walk off. "Come along, Barbarius."

"The temple huh? Oh well..." Valen sighed, wandering off with Bryenn following behind him.

"See you all tonight!" Trelana smiled, tugging Schimmel's arm as they left. "Hurry up Schimmy, don't drag your feet!"

"She has more energy than a child at times like this, just as stubborn too." I commented, watching Trelana drag Schimmel off. I glanced over at Ruby, she was staring at Trelana with an expression almost a scary as the one she wore when talking about Parven. "Uh... Ruby?" I mumbled, taking a step away from her. "Shouldn't we get to Godsreach?"

"Right." Ruby said shortly, bumping me as she walked by.

"Being alone with Ruby is bad enough, it's just my luck she's in a bad mood as well." I sighed, keeping my distance.

"Did you say something?" she snapped.

"Nothing important..." I muttered, looking over at the Bazaar as we passed. "You want to get a drink before we try finding out about the base?"

"If you didn't suggest it, I was going to. Let's go to the place Razelus mentioned."

"Good idea..."


	29. Mournhold Mishaps

**Chapter 29: Mournhold Mishaps **

Ruby and I had found The Winged Guar without any problems, the layout of the city was fairly simple. It was much easier to get around than Vivec, and much more cheery. At least, the city was. Ruby was still in an off mood, and I was still stuck with her. I began to wish I had traded places with Valen or Bryenn, but that probably would have been worse. Valen and Bryenn each annoyed me in their own special way, Ruby just scared me.

We had taken a seat in the far corner of the tavern. I glanced around the room for anyone that might have looked familiar, like an ASP agent, but didn't see anyone suspicious. Ruby seemed to be more interested in what Trelana and Schimmel were doing than keeping an eye out for enemies or info about the base.

"I really don't understand you." I sighed, leaning back in my chair.

"I didn't expect someone like YOU to understand anyway. You're so clueless." Ruby grumbled, taking another sip of matze.

"I meant I don't understand how you can drink that crap. The odor makes me want to retch..." I said, looking at the bottle of matze in her hand and trying not to be sick when she took another swig of it.

"Yeah... a little bit helps me relax though. Besides, this is all I could afford." Ruby muttered.

"Take what's left of mine instead, I don't need to get drunk during a mission." I said, pushing my bottle of greef over to her.

"Like I need to... speaking of which, I don't think I've ever seen you drunk. Even after drinking three of these in one sitting." Ruby commented, picking up the bottle of greef and taking a drink.

"I think I'll be seeing you drunk if you don't take it easy." I chuckled.

"Right... good point..." Ruby sighed "but really, what do you think?"

"About what?" I wondered.

"Trelana! Are you that dense?!" Ruby shouted, slamming the bottle of greef on the table so hard that the bottom shattered..

"I think she's nice enough, a bit stubborn at times though."

"That's not what I mean! I mean about her and Schimmel!" she shouted again, brandishing the now broken bottle of greef at me.

"Calm down... I know what you meant." I chuckled nervously. "I'll tell you a little secret, if you promise not to tell ANYONE I told you. Especially not Trelana, she'd have my head."

"A secret? Okay..." Ruby leaned forward. "What?"

"It's just..." I glanced around the room again, then leaned over and whispered something into her ear.

"She WHAT?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's about how I reacted after hearing it for the first time." I chuckled "Just don't tell anyone... okay?"

"Right... I won't. It's surprising though, I mean... how she... but it does make sense. I wonder if she told Schimmel that."

"I doubt it, she didn't tell me because she wanted to, I asked her a simple question and she let it slip. Of course... that was over six months ago, maybe she... hmm..."

"This is just too weird..." Ruby mumbled.

"I'm going to head over to the craftman's hall we passed on the way here. Maybe they have something good." I said, getting up.

"What about the mission?"

"We're here until we can find the base. I don't see any reason to hurry, I want to go to the museum anyway. Think of it this way, going sightseeing instead of our job would really irritate Parven if he knew, isn't that reason enough for you?"

"Heh." Ruby grinned. "You've got a point, let's go."

--

We didn't spend long at the craftman's hall, there wasn't much to see. A smith, mage and some oddball who was obsessed with "clutter" as he put it, was all we found. The smith's shop was well stocked, but I didn't see anything worth getting. Ruby however, bought a few throwing knives from him. I bought something from the mage, but Ruby didn't seem that interested in what he had for sale. She also made a point of calling me an idiot for paying such a high price from some gaudy little gem.

"It's not a gaudy little gem! It's a soul gem, and a good one at that!" I complained as we left the building. "It's used in enchanting, so it doesn't have to be exquisite."

"It doesn't have to be ugly either, but it is. I didn't think you were interested in enchanting anyway." Ruby said, examining the throwing knives she bought from the smith.

"I'm not, I didn't get it for myself. It's a gift for-"

"Trelana?" Ruby interrupted.

"Well, yeah. I wasn't sure what else to get her, so this'll have to do." I said, looking down at the grand soul gem in my hand.

--

The two of us left Godsreach, entering Plaza Brindisi Dorom, where the city gates were. We walked up to the large statue of Almalexia and Mehrunes Dagon that was near the center of the area, and stared at it silently for a moment. My mind was wandering again, but was quickly brought back to reality when Ruby spoke.

"Why would you get her a gift?" Ruby asked. "If you're trying to get her... attention, I think you should do it now before she gets her claws much deeper into Schimmel." There was a hint of anger in her voice.

"It's not like that..." I muttered, glancing up at the statue again. "I know her pretty well, well enough to know she's not really my type."

"If it's only because of what you told me, I should probably slap you."

"Don't be stupid. She's just too..." I trailed off, and began walking toward the gate leading to the Bazaar.

Ruby hurried after me. "She's too... what?"

"I can't answer that." I said.

"Why not? Can't you think of a good reason?"

"I can think of a few, but not one that you won't hit me for saying."

--

We started searching the bazaar for Schimmel and Trelana, each for very different reasons. It wasn't difficult to find our way around, but there were quite a few shops they could have been in, and there was always the possibility they had gone somewhere else. We started at the Mournhold Players part of the bazaar, an area with a stage set up for plays and such, and asked if anyone had seen them.

"I remember that guy, he was causing trouble so we chased him out of here." A Nord said.

"Causing trouble?" Ruby wondered.

"The idiot tripped over the bench there, and somehow managed to topple it and everyone on it onto their backs." The Nord grumbled, gesturing to a nearby bench that was set up for watching the plays. "I was one of the unlucky few sitting on it at the time."

"That sounds like Schimmel all right." I laughed.

Ruby jabbed me in the side with her elbow, but didn't look at me. "Did you see which way he went?"

"Yeah, he ran off toward the shops. I feel sorry for any poor shopkeeper that has that moron in his shop." The Nord said.

"Thanks. Come on Nem." Ruby said, grabbing the sleeve of my robe and pulling me along with her. "Jerk." She muttered once the Nord was out of earshot.

Ruby looked over the six shops, wondering where to start. "Where do you think they would be?" she asked me.

My attention was elsewhere. The hunt for Schimmel and Trelana had been wiped from my mind after noticing a bookstore. I didn't get more than three steps toward it before Ruby grabbed the back of my robe to stop me.

"I said where would THEY be, not you. You already went shopping once." Ruby said sternly.

"That was for Trelana though... er... I mean..." I stuttered after seeing the irritated look on her face. "Well, they could be in there... Trelana's almost as fond of books as I am, and Schimmel... okay, I haven't seen him read all that much but she could have dragged him along."

Ruby opened her mouth to speak but a loud crash made her stop before any words came out. Shouting starting coming from the trader's across the street, but I couldn't really understand what was being said, and I don't think I wanted to. A few moments later two people bolted out of the trader's shop, followed by the shopkeeper who was brandishing a spear at them.

"Run for your life, Schimmy!" The one in front yelled, dragging the other person along.

I couldn't believe my eyes. Apparently neither could Ruby, who was standing there staring, just as dumbfounded as I was. Trelana and Schimmel ran off in the direction of the plaza, but the shopkeeper didn't follow after them, turning back to his shop and cursing loudly to himself.

"Causing problems seems to be one of his talents, don't you think?" I chuckled, not thinking about who was next to me.

Ruby gave me an annoyed glance, then turned back to face the shop. "I guess so..." she sighed, "but it's part of his ch... er... personality."

I chuckled again, having a good idea of what she was going to say before changing her mind. "At least things are never boring with him around."

--

The two of us headed back toward the plaza to find out where Trelana and Schimmel had run off to. When we were almost to the gate leading there, I heard voices shouting again, this time in a panic.

"I don't wanna die like this!" A Bosmer screamed as he sped by us and though the gate to the plaza.

"This is all just a misunderstanding!" Valen yelled, following the Bosmer.

"Can't stop to explain, sorry!" Bryenn called out to us as he trailed after Valen.

Bringing up the rear were three high ordinators, each with their weapons drawn.

"Well... this certainly is a lively town." someone commented from behind me.

I turned around to see Barbarius and Razelus walking up. Barbarius was grinning but Razelus was wearing a rather concerned expression.

"How can you make jokes at a time like this?" Razelus grumbled. "My brother's in trouble by the look of things."

"You guys don't know why?" Ruby asked.

"Nope, we went to the temple to meet them and when we got there they bolted out of the temple with those ordinators after them." Barbarius said.

"So much for relaxing before hunting down the base..." I muttered.

"That can wait until we help those idiots. Let's hurry before they get in even more trouble... if that's possible." Ruby sighed.


	30. Headknocker

**Chapter 30: Headknocker**

I unsteadily carried a tray full of drinks across the tavern to a large table near the corner, almost dropping it twice before finally setting it on the table. The large group at the table expressed their thanks, and I replied with a rather rude gesture when they all reached for their drinks. I walked around the table and sat in an empty chair, grabbing a bottle of greef from the tray.

"Why'd I have to carry all that? Bryenn's the strong one here." I grumbled, taking a drink.

"Bryenn's depressed, you should be more considerate about how he feels!" Trelana said, patting him on the shoulder. There was a forlorn expression on his face, and he hadn't spoken since they had arrived.

"He's being daft. So he has a smudged record now, big deal. I've probably got murder on mine with my luck." I said, remembering certain events in Vivec.

"I probably would have too, if it weren't for my stealth skills." Ruby grinned.

"Yeah, and Barbie's a thief so he's bound to have a few burglary charges on his criminal record." I said with a laugh.

"Damn it! How many times to I have to tell you not to call me that?!" Barbarius shouted.

"What, Barbie or a thief?"

"Both!"

"Would both of you shut up?" Razelus interrupted.

"I don't see what the problem is. It's not really anything major." Schimmel said, scratching his head.

"It's his first black mark. I remember mine, mainly because I didn't have the money for the fine and ended up in jail." Valen sighed.

"Then I come home after a trip to Solstheim to find you've been arrested for stealing saltrice... how stupid can you get? The stuff only costs one gold a piece, you'd make a crappy thief brother." Razelus chuckled.

Bryenn finally spoke. "I was supposed to become a knight... someone who upheld the law, not broke it. How am I supposed to do that now?"

"Geez... isn't that overreacting?" I said, slightly annoyed. "Accomplices to a robbery, that's nothing."

"But it's not true! That little Bosmer fetcher tricked us!" Bryenn yelled, slamming his fist on the table. "Gaenor told us he was a member of the Temple and was waiting for some people to return who were sent down there to deal with some undead! How were we supposed to know he was a wanted thief and was waiting for his friends that had just stolen some sacred relic?!"

"You, and everyone else at this table, know you had nothing to do with it, isn't that enough?" I asked.

Bryenn hesitated a few moments before answering. "I guess... but it's still annoying. I'd better not be turned down by the Imperial Legion because of this..."

"You still plan on joining them?"

"Eventually, yeah. That's what I had always planned to do."

"I don't know how you could stand it..." I muttered.

A few moments passed in silence, apart from the noises coming from elsewhere in the pub. Ruby was the first one to speak. "So would you mind telling us what happened with you two?" she asked as casually as she could, glancing at Schimmel and Trelana.

"Oh... well, it's hard to explain. A lot of things just happened all at once." Trelana mumbled.

"Those sort of things just seem to happen when I'm around." Schimmel chuckled.

"I was right, you are cursed." I muttered.

Ruby gave me an annoyed look, but quickly turned back to Schimmel. "What were you doing in that shop in the first place? You must have been looking for something."

"Yeah, I was looking for a-" Schimmel began, but Trelana quickly clapped her hand over his mouth.

"We were just looking for something unique to Mournhold! You know, it's a big city, they must have original stuff you can't get anywhere else in Morrowind, right Schimmy?" Trelana laughed nervously, glaring at Schimmel for a second.

"Mmph." Schimmel nodded his head, unable to speak properly since Trelana's hand was still pressed hard against his mouth.

"You're both idiots... a perfect match." I muttered.

Ruby shoved me off my chair, not even bothering to look at me this time. "So did you manage to find anything?"

"Nope. Schimmy broke the shelf, and everything on it, shortly after we got there. Needless to say we didn't get much chance to look around after that." Trelana laughed, finally letting go of Schimmel.

"Are you all almost done with this chatter?" Razelus interrupted. "We should really be getting to the mission."

"How do you expect to do that? We don't know where to start looking." Valen grumbled.

"Well while you guys were breaking things, getting chased by ordinators and wandering around. Barbarius and I actually did what we came here for." Razelus said in a tone that just seemed to annoy me, and by their expressions, pretty much everyone else. Ruby however, was staring at Trelana like she wanted to leap across the table and strangle her, and Schimmel's mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"So where is the base located?" Bryenn asked.

"Somewhere in the sewers beneath the bazaar. We don't know exactly where though." Barbarius said.

"We have to go back where we started? What a pain." Valen complained.

--

"So what's the plan? This place isn't exactly small." Bryenn wondered, looking around.

He was right, tunnels lead in all different directions. I wasn't sure I wanted to be in groups of two again, these sewers didn't feel in the least bit safe. Ghosts, rats, goblins. They were overrun with countless things that would probably like nothing more than to rip your face off.

"How about we split into two groups? They told me that way is a dead end, so that leaves two paths." Razelus said. "I'll lead a group down this one. Nem, you lead the other."

"What!? Why me?" I protested.

"Please don't argue, just pick your team."

"Fine... Schimmel, Ruby and Barbie." I said without giving it much thought.

"Damn it! My name is not Barbie!" Barbarius yelled. I ignored him.

"Very well. Bryenn, you can take over as the leader of my team." Razelus said, also ignoring Barbarius' outburst.

"Me?" Bryenn asked, a bit confused.

"You said you wanted to join the Legion correct? I'm certain that someone like you will rise through the ranks rather quickly, so you'll need a bit of leadership practice before then." Razelus grinned at him.

Bryenn stared at him for a moment. "R-right. All right everyone, lets go!" Bryenn said enthusiastically, marching down the tunnel.

Razelus chuckled and followed after him. Valen gave his brother an odd look before following as well. Trelana hesitated, looking back at us for a moment before running to catch up with them.

"That guy is so confusing..." I sighed, shaking my head.

"No kidding... his mood changes so quickly and his face is unreadable half the time. Something about him is just odd." Ruby commented.

"At least he's not as bad as Parven." I said, glancing at Ruby.

"Not even close."

"If you two are done mumbling to each other, can we get going?" Barbarius said in a slightly irritated tone. I figured he was still sore about being called Barbie, or being ignored.

"Okay, we're coming." Ruby said. "Why don't you lead the way, Barbarius? I want to have a little chat with Schimmel and Nem's not exactly a frontline fighter."

Barbarius opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it again. He muttered something under his breath and walked ahead of them. "Fine, but if I see anything I'm gonna warn you and let you handle it, miss master marksman." he said in the same irritated tone as before.

"Sure, I'll take care of them. You just scout ahead." Ruby said quickly.

I chuckled as Ruby grabbed Schimmel and pulled him a few steps behind Barbarius so they could talk somewhat privately. "Poor Schimmel. First Trelana, now Ruby. Wait... Trelana." I reached into my pocket and removed the soul gem, I had forgotten to give it to her. "Crap... oh well, it can wait a while longer."

--

We continued to trek deeper into the sewers until they became caves leading into the ruins of Old Mournhold. We didn't see much apart from monsters, until we heard the clash of metal on metal up ahead. Barbarius and I ran ahead to see what was happening, Ruby and Schimmel were trailing behind so they didn't seem to notice until Barbarius yelled back at them.

A girl's voice came from up ahead. "Don't you guys have anything better to do?"

"Little punk! I'm gonna kill you!" A harsh voice replied.

Barbarius charged around a corner just after I heard a thud from up ahead.

The girl's voice rang out again. "More of ya, huh? All right, you asked for it!"

I turned the corner just in time to see Barbarius get punched three times in the stomach and then kicked in the face before he could even react. He slumped to the ground, giving me a clear look at who had done it.

An Imperial girl with black hair that almost reached her shoulders was standing over him. She was wearing a dark outfit, but I couldn't tell if it was black or just dirty. She had saw me and dashed up before I had a chance to be certain. I saw a glint of metal on the knuckles of her gloves and on the boot that came rushing up to meet my chest. I was knocked backwards off my feet and into the wall.

"Hold it right there!" Ruby shouted, running at the girl with her daggers brandished and taking a swing at her.

The girl ducked Ruby's first attack and blocked the second with the metal plates on her left glove, taking the opportunity to punch Ruby in the stomach with her right. While she was winded from the blow, the girl swept Ruby's left foot and smashed her face-first into the cave wall while she was off balance.

"Ruby!" Schimmel yelled, charging at the girl with his sword pointed at her.

She evaded the blade easily, ducking under it and grabbing Schimmel's wrist, twisting it until he dropped his sword. She pulled him forward hard, putting her other hand on his chest and using the force of her pull to flip him over her shoulder, slamming him onto the ground.

"Yeah!" The girl laughed, "That'll teach you stupid outlaws not to mess with Aya Yukia, ace explorer!"


	31. The Second Base

**Chapter 31: The Second Base**

"Hey... you guys don't look like normal outlaws." Aya said, looking us over as we all laid on the floor in pain from her very efficient beating.

"We aren't outlaws... we came down here to find something." Schimmel groaned, trying to get up. His back had to be sore after getting thrown to the ground like that.

"So you're all... fellow explorers!? Oh no!" Aya gasped, helping Schimmel up. "I'm so sorry, I just thought... since you showed up right after those other two idiots..."

"It's okay. I don't think there was any harm done..." I coughed, wiping the dirt off my robe. It was a slight lie, I was bound to get a fair sized bruise on my chest where she had kicked me, but it didn't feel like anything was broken.

"No harm done?!" Barbarius said loudly. His jaw seemed to be too sore to allow a yell judging by the way he was holding it. "I think that crazy woman knocked one of my teeth out with that kick!" he spit some blood onto the ground, along with a tooth. "Oh crap, I was right... damn!"

"I'm really sorry... I'll..." Aya stuttered.

A growling sound came from Ruby's direction. "You'll be sorry once I get done with you all right!" she yelled, suddenly lunging at Aya.

"Hold on Ruby!" Schimmel panicked, quickly positioning himself between Ruby and Aya. "It was just a mistake, please just think about what you're doing!" he pleaded with her as he tried to keep her from beating Aya to a bloody pulp.

It didn't look like Schimmel was going to be able to hold her back much longer, so I did the only thing I could think of, despite how stupid it was. "Calm down Ruby. It's not like she damaged anything that wasn't already in bad condition."

For better or worse, my little plan to distract her worked. Ruby glared at me, the large bruise and cut on her forehead clearly visible from where her head had connected with the wall. "What did you say?"

"Nem, are you out of your mind?!" Schimmel yelled, trying to get a firmer grip on Ruby.

"No, it looks like Ruby is. More than usual at least. I think her pent up anger has just reached it's breaking point, if we can keep her from moving long enough... uh oh."

Ruby had slipped out of Schimmel's grip and charged at me. I looked at Barbarius, expecting him to help me. He was staring at the tooth he had spit out, still nursing his jaw and not even noticing what was going on. Before I could say anything to him, Ruby had gotten within reach and slapped me so hard I was knocked back a couple steps.

"How is it you manage to generally be on my good side, and still tick me off at least once a day?!" Ruby shouted at me.

"As if I would know that." I muttered.

--

Ruby calmed down a couple minutes later, and even had a more... rational talk, with Aya. Since they were getting along on decent terms now, Schimmel seemed to position himself between Ruby and myself, since she occasionally threw me a rather irritated look. Apparently he thought she might take another swing at me. Barbarius was still a bit distraught over his tooth, but his spirits rose slightly after I told him it wasn't even noticeable since it was one in the back.

"What did you mean when you called yourself an ace explorer after giving us a beatdown anyway?" Barbarius asked, his jaw still sore.

"Oh, I've spent almost a year exploring this place. I know it so well it's like a second home!" Aya laughed.

"Really... so you've probably heard of a group called the ASP." I thought aloud.

"Those guys? Yeah, I know them. Their attitudes seem to vary depending on which one you meet. Most of the soldiers are either decent or scum, no middle ground with them. I remember meeting a couple of the higher ranked guys too when I passed by once... some jerk called Rodran and a fairly polite guy named Mortifer."

"Rodran and Mortifer!?" I exclaimed. "I'd call Rodran much worse than a jerk... Mortifer has a calm attitude in comparison, but I'd hardly call him polite!"

"Really? I thought he was kinda cute..."

Ruby choked at this point. "You can't be serious! The guy's probably twice your age!"

"I just said he was cute, not that I wanted to date him!" Aya said quickly. "Anyway, dating a slightly older guy would be normal compared to you. I mean, three of them?" she grinned.

I was the one to choke that time. I heard Barbarius chuckle, but Schimmel was facing Aya and Ruby so I couldn't tell how he reacted to it.

"This is guild business, not pleasure!" Ruby retorted.

"It was just a joke, Ruby. Lighten up." Aya laughed.

"I don't mean to interrupt the girly chatter... but would you mind telling us where to find the ASP base?" I asked, getting tired of listening to Aya and Ruby.

"Oh, you know that tunnel that's supposed to be a dead end? There's a hidden passageway near the end that leads to it. I'll show you how to get there, but I've never been inside it. The idiots stop me before I can get two steps in usually."

"That's our next stop then. Lead on."

--

We walked all the way back to the place our group had parted ways, the thought that we were that close to it before was just annoying. Before we could even start down the tunnel we had ignored, Aya dropped into a fighting stance, staring down the tunnel that Bryenn and the others had gone down.

"More outlaws? Or maybe ASP grunts?" Aya mumbled as four people came into view.

"Hold it... you don't need to pummel anyone else in our group." Ruby said, putting her hand on Aya's shoulder so she wouldn't run off.

"Hey! What are you all doing back here? Couldn't you find anything either?" Trelana asked as they approached.

"No, but it looks like they found a girl... find another one to chase after you Schimmel?" Valen laughed. He then dropped onto the ground, after getting hit by both Ruby and Trelana.

"You should've seen that coming brother... you need to gain some foresight." Razelus sighed.

Bryenn shook his head at their antics and walked up to Aya. "Hello, I'm Bryenn." he said politely, extending his hand.

"Hiya, I'm Aya Yukia, ace explorer!" Aya said brightly, shaking Bryenn's hand a bit roughly.

"She's our guide." I said, turning to the tunnel leading to the ASP base. "According to her, the base we're after is down there."

"I see. Well that's helpful. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Yukia, I'm Razelus Romandas, this is my younger brother, Valen." he said gesturing to Valen, who was still on the ground.

"Would you stop calling me that?" Valen grumbled.

"I'm Trelana, nice to meet you, Aya." she smiled.

"I just realized something... not even I know your last name, Trelana." I said.

"My last name? Oh... I..." Trelana trailed off, scratching her head. "You see... it's..."

"It's something that can wait. We've got a problem." Barbarius interrupted.

A group of ASP minions were charging down the tunnel leading to their base, right at us. At least we knew Aya wasn't lying to us now.

"Heeey... are they more of your friends?" Aya asked.

I sighed. "No, they're enemies... get ready to- eh? HEY! Don't be stupid!" Aya had charged at the group by herself halfway through my sentence. "Argh! Why are all the women I meet so reckless?!" I yelled, running after her.

--

"You're psychotic on the battlefield, you know that?" I commented.

We entered the hidden passage leading to the ASP base, leaving the mound of soldiers that Aya battered nearly to death laying back in the tunnel.

"Well it's not like I kill them, I just make them know that nothing gets in the way of an explorer. Even if it means breaking a few bones." Aya grinned, slapping me on the back. "Thanks to you guys I'll finally be able to get to one of the few places I haven't been able to visit. My map will almost be finished!"

"The way you fight, I'm surprised you haven't just fought your way in before this." Ruby said.

"I tried once, a couple months ago. I got to a three way split but then soldiers rushed at me from all directions... I knew it was too much for me and quickly ran back out before they caught me."

"You mean this split?" Bryenn asked. The path widened a bit, one lead straight on, and there were two more on each side of it. What was really odd though, was a very old, slightly rotten wooden pole in the middle of the small area that parted the four tunnels. It looked like something that you'd find in a mine.

"What do you think this is?" Barbarius wondered.

"Miners sometimes put something like this up to help unstable tunnels... but this one is clearly the job of an amateur." Razelus said, examining it. "As for the path ahead..."

"Let me guess." I interrupted. "Since there are nine of us and three tunnels we part into three trios?"

"Well... that would be the most logical thing to do." Razelus said, obviously a bit annoyed.

"So who goes with who this time?" Schimmel inquired, leaning back against the pole without thinking.

"Schimmel, no!" Ruby cried.

It was too late, the pole in the middle of the room slid a bit then snapped in half. The room began to tremble once the pole and Schimmel hit the ground. Chunks of rock began falling from the ceiling, and the ground cracked. "Run!" Someone shouted. Rocks were falling, there was screaming, it was all a blur. The last thing I remember clearly is the floor crumbling and falling.

--

There was a sharp pain in my chest again. Landing on the bruise that Aya gave me was not the way I would have chosen to land. I pushed myself up onto my knees, coughing from the dust that was still floating around. I was alone, the tunnel ahead was shrouded in darkness, and the path behind was sealed by rocks and dirt. That's when I saw it. A hand was sticking out near the base of the pile.

I turned back and started to dig frantically. A few moments later a tuft of hair poked through the dirt, and I dug even faster to get their head out, hoping they were still alive. I cursed loudly as I found they were facedown. I thrust my hands into the dirt and rocks around them, feeling my arms get cut on a few jagged rocks as I did so. I managed to get my hands around the person's shoulders and pulled them up.

I gasped after seeing the person's unconscious face, covered in cuts and dirt. "Schimmel!"


	32. Separation Anxiety

**Chapter 32: Separation Anxiety**

"Do you... think that everyone else is okay?" Trelana asked, sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall.

"Probably... those guys are pretty durable. You weren't with us during the raid on the first base, they survived for a reason." Ruby said, sitting down across from her.

"What reason?"

"Who knows? Luck, fate, destiny... whatever you want to call it. Luck seems to be something we have little of at the moment." Ruby sighed, glancing at the mound of rock and dirt blocking the way out. "I can't believe there's no way back."

"We have to get out of here... I have a horrible feeling..." Trelana muttered.

"I know. I feel the same. You're worried about Schimmel too aren't you?"

"Y-yeah... and everyone else... but when I think of Schimmel I start to feel... I can't explain it. It just..."

"Well let's start walking. I'd like to ask you a few things while we do though."

"Uh... okay." Trelana mumbled, giving Ruby a nervous glance. They both got up and slowly began walking down the tunnel.

"I'd like to know why you joined Forlorn in the first place... if you don't mind my asking."

Trelana hesitated for a moment. "Why I joined... it's been a while since I thought about that, but I suppose I could tell you. I had a couple reasons... it's like this..."

--

"Damn that hurt!" Barbarius groaned, rubbing his head.

"You should've used your arms to cover your head..." Valen said.

"I wonder if everyone else is okay..." Bryenn wondered, looking down the tunnel.

"They're probably fine, let's just hurry on so we can meet up with them." Valen said, giving Bryenn a push so he'd start walking.

The three of them followed the tunnel, listening for the slightest noise. They eventually came to a right turn, but still didn't see or hear anything. Valen began to hum nervously, but the other two quickly told him to stop. A faint clunk echoed down the tunnel. Bryenn started to lead the way, but Valen suggested Barbarius did instead, since he would have a hard time using a claymore in a cave this narrow. Barbarius, after a brief protest, crept down the tunnel with his dagger in hand.

The passage ended at what appeared to be a training room. There were five ASP members in it, all facedown on the ground. The trio walked in cautiously, wondering if it was some sort of trap.

"Sorry guys, I got all the fun to myself." A cheery voice said. Aya was sitting in the corner, grinning at them. Her right shoulder was bleeding, but it didn't look serious. "I wondered when someone else would get here. I had to stop and rest for a minute, one of those jerks got a lucky strike in."

"You really are crazy..." Barbarius muttered as Bryenn rushed over to heal her.

"How do you manage to fight this many people and get out of it with only a scratch?" Valen asked.

"I would've got out with less if one of those rocks hadn't fallen on my foot... the pain was a hindrance. Other than that, I've had a lot of training. My friend Joshua said it might have something to do with me being under the sign of The Thief as well."

"Joshua?" Bryenn inquired.

"He's-"

An explosion echoed from a tunnel leading deeper into the base, making all of them look.

"What was that?" Valen wondered.

"Only one way to find out!" Aya said, jumping to her feet and almost falling over again. She grabbed onto Bryenn's arm to steady herself. "Ohh... that stupid rock! Bryenn, would you mind healing my foot too?"

A minute later they were heading down the tunnel, Aya leading the way.

--

I walked slowly down the passage, my dagger in my right hand. I didn't hear anything coming from up ahead, and it was starting to get to me. After what seemed like an eternity, I arrived at a large room. It looked like there was a second floor that overlooked the one I was on, but I didn't see any way up from where I was. There were two other passages, one to the right and one leading straight ahead. I was considering which way to go when a familiar voice made me look up.

"Well, well... it has been a while since I've seen you. Where's the blonde fetcher that was with you last time?" A cold voice asked.

An Altmer in an exquisite golden robe was standing on the second floor staring down at me. I knew him right away. "Harnaten. You're the leader here?"

"Tell me where the blonde one is! I have a score to settle with him." Harnaten shouted.

"Right down to business? I was hoping we could chat a bit first. Still a necrophiliac?" I asked with a laugh.

"You son of a-" There was a flash as Harnaten threw a fireball spell at me. I evaded it easily, he was too far away which gave me ample time to see a spell coming and dodge it.

"Not bad, but you need to work on your range." I grinned, charging the firebomb spell Razelus had taught me how to make in my right hand. "Here's an example!" I hurled it at the ledge he was standing on. It caused an explosion that shook the entire cave, destroying what Harnaten was standing on. I chuckled as he landed on the ground with a thud.

He got up, a fierce expression on his face. "Where is the one that was with you in Ald-Ruhn?!" He yelled again.

"Stubborn aren't you? Why are you so angry with Schimmel anyway? I'm the one that took a shot at you."

"When we were holding the woman... the soldier that ran into the tomb to retrieve the staff... do you remember what happened?"

"Of course. Schimmel killed him, but we also killed the rest of your troops, what makes that one so special?"

"It was his first mission in the ASP... he wanted to prove he could handle himself, and that blonde boy killed him. I want revenge... with my own hands, I want to strangle the fetcher that killed my son!"

"Your... son?" I muttered.

"Yes, now tell me. Where is he!?" Harnaten demanded.

I glanced over my shoulder at the tunnel I had come from for a moment, then turned back to Harnaten. "You don't need to bother looking for him anymore..."

--

Another soldier slumped to the ground as Trelana showed them just how painful lightning magicka can be. "Well I'll keep it in mind, but for now we should just worry about everyone else. How much further do you think it is until we find our friends?" she asked, bashing another that came after her in the face with her staff.

"It shouldn't be much farther, if we can deal with all these idiots." Ruby said, stabbing one of the few that went after her in the throat. "I hate these guys... they never know when to give up."

Once they dispatched the remaining soldiers, they ran down the next passage. "You hear that?" Trelana wondered.

A faint voice could be heard up ahead. "Yeah, someone's talking. Who do you think it is? An enemy?"

"Not a chance, I know that voice! It's Nem!" Trelana smiled. "The other one sounds vaguely familiar as well."

They stopped at the entrance to a large room, I was ahead to the left and Harnaten was to the right. He and I didn't even notice that they arrived.

"What are you talking about!? That can't be!" Harnaten yelled.

"It's just like I told you. Schimmel... is dead." I said again, trying to get his thick head to absorb the information. "Your damned trap at the entrance killed him."

"NO!" Two voices screamed in unison.

I turned to see Ruby and Trelana by the cave to my right, each looking horrorstruck. Harnaten however, took the opportunity to throw another fireball spell at me. I wasn't able to dodge it this time, luckily my "curse" kicked in and I got away with only a singed robe.

"Thanks for the boost Harnaten, I wouldn't have been able to manage a second one otherwise!" I yelled, just before casting my firebomb spell again, once again aiming at his feet.

He didn't get far before it hit, causing a massive explosion and sending him flying. He cursed loudly after hitting the ground and vanished in a flash of light.

"Hmph... coward." I grumbled, turning to Ruby and Trelana.

Ruby was already charging at me. "What the hell do you mean Schimmel's dead!?" she yelled, grabbing me by the collar of my robe. There was a slight quiver in her voice.

"Nem... how... what..." Trelana stuttered, walking up next to Ruby.

"Er... you see..." I glanced down the tunnel I had come from again, wondering how to explain.

Ruby noticed where I was looking, threw me aside and charged down the tunnel. I regained my balance and dashed after her as quickly as I could, Trelana running unsteadily behind me.

Ruby came to a sudden stop, dropping to her knees. "No... Schimmel..."

Schimmel was laying on his back, propped up against the mound of rock and dirt. His clothes were covered in dirt and torn in places from when I had pulled him out from beneath the pile. His right leg was bloody and bent at an unusual angle where the bone had broken.

Trelana muttered something I couldn't understand and leaned against the wall, sliding down into a sitting position and starting to cry.

Tears were already streaming down Ruby's face, she looked down at the ground and put her hand over her eyes. "Schimmel... damn it... you were so accident prone but never seemed to come out of each one with more than a scratch or two... how could you do something stupid enough to..."

"Ruby...? What's wrong?"

Ruby froze for a moment, then looked up at Schimmel again. He was staring at her with a concerned, yet slightly tired, expression. "Schimmel... you're..." She lunged at Schimmel, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging his head tightly. "You're alive! I can't tell you how happy I am to hear your voice!"

Muffled shouts came from Schimmel, I think he was yelling something about his leg, since Ruby had bumped into it when she dove at him.

Ruby released his head a moment later, and smiled at him. "Schimmel I have something to tell you..."

"W... what is it?" Schimmel stuttered.

She grabbed him by his collar and glared at him. "Don't you EVER scare me like that again! UNDERSTAND?!"

"O-okay." Schimmel whimpered, looking terrified.

"AND YOU!" Ruby stood up and stomped over to me. I was expecting this and was ready to run, but the look in her eyes made me too scared to move. "How DARE you make me think Schimmel was... OHH, I can't even say it! Jerk!" she shouted, punching me in the face so hard I fell over backwards.

I groaned, glancing up at Trelana and hoping for at least a hint of sympathy, but all I got was a look that pretty much said 'You deserved it.'

_Geez... I try to protect Schimmel the only way I can think of and this is the thanks I get..._ I thought, sighing.


	33. Departure

**Chapter 33: Departure**

After a while Ruby and Trelana calmed down, the other four found us, and we began wondering where Razelus could have gone. It seemed to be Valen's turn to panic, Trelana and Ruby tried to calm him down while Bryenn, Barbarius and Aya went to look for Razelus. I was finally left alone with Schimmel long enough to try and explain what exactly happened while he was napping.

"You told them I was dead!?" Schimmel exclaimed.

"No, I told Harnaten you were dead. They just happened to overhear me..." I grumbled.

"Why would you say something like that!?"

"Look at yourself! If I told him you were in this condition you probably WOULD be dead. I left you my bow and arrows to defend yourself with and you go and fall asleep! You're just so... geez..." I sighed, leaning against the wall. "I did manage to find out why Harnaten is after you though."

"Really? Good, at least one of us knows." Schimmel chuckled.

"I don't think it's anything to laugh about. It seems you killed his son."

"Eh?"

"That's what he said..." I did my best explain what Harnaten said happened, it took a while to remember since at the time I was more worried about killing time or being killed than his personal vendettas. By the time I finished, Schimmel looked more confused than ever, I figured it was because my explanation wasn't very good.

"That... doesn't make any sense." Schimmel muttered, scratching his head.

"I didn't think my version was that bad..." I said.

"No, it's-"

"Schimmel! Nem! We searched everywhere but Razzy seems to have vanished!" Aya shouted, running down the tunnel.

"You have to be kidding me... don't tell me he..." I glanced back at the mound of rocks and dirt I pulled Schimmel out of, wondering if Razelus could be underneath it.

"Razelus wasn't stupid enough to die like that." Ruby said, walking up behind Aya.

"What do you think happened then?" I asked.

"There's always the possibility he ran back to the entrance instead. We shouldn't count him as dead until we get out of here. For all we know he'll be standing out there waiting for us, grinning stupidly like Parven does."

"Somehow I doubt the grinning part, but you could be right. Any idea how we're supposed to get out?"

"Through here!" A slightly muffled voice yelled. A few of the stones rolled down the mound, followed by a cascade of dirt. Bryenn peered through the newly formed hole between the mound and the ceiling. "Barbarius and I will have this open soon. It'll go quicker if you give us a hand from that side though."

"You got it!" Aya said brightly, jumping over Schimmel and onto the pile, beginning to dig.

"You have to admire her enthusiasm..." I chuckled.

"Yeah... you don't meet many people like that, especially not in this sort of town." Ruby commented.

"At this rate, we'll have you out of here and to a healer in no time, Schimmel." I said with a grin.

He didn't reply, he seemed to be thinking about something.

"Schimmel? Something wrong?"

"Eh?" he mumbled, looking up at me. "Oh... well, my leg hurts."

"Other than that! You looked like you were confused more than in pain."

"It's nothing. So... where are Trelana and Valen?"

"Valen's still in a bit of a panic... Trelana's trying to keep him calm." Ruby said, leaning against the wall.

--

It only took ten minutes to make the hole large enough to climb through with as fast as Aya was going. By the time we had gotten Schimmel through it, she and Bryenn had downed the one blocking the entrance as well. Valen rushed through, Aya, Trelana and I hurried after him. He stopped abruptly at the entrance back into the sewers, and Aya crashed into him. Trelana went to help them up but stopped a foot from them, staring down the tunnel. I stepped out and was a bit stunned at what I saw as well.

Bodies littered the ground, and not just the ones that Aya had pummeled on the way in. The walls were burnt, blood was splattered in places, but very little considering how many people were on the ground. It was pretty clear that the battle that took place here consisted mostly of spells.

Valen had already gotten to his feet and dashed over to look through the corpses, obviously for his brother. Trelana walked along as well, looking around at the bodies. Aya just stood there, a shocked expression on her face.

I turned back to get Schimmel and the others, only to find them already on their way. Ruby was leading the way with Barbarius, and Bryenn was helping Schimmel along. I was about to tell them what happened when Valen yelled.

"He's not here!" I glanced over at Valen, who was now pacing. "He's not here... but what does that mean!?"

"He's probably been taken by ASP troops, just like Fargoth and a few other members were." Ruby said, looking around. "At least that means he's still alive."

"I... guess so... but..." Valen muttered. "We have to find him, and save him! I won't let those fetchers hurt my little brother and live!"

"Little brother? I thought you were the younger one. That's what Razelus always said." Barbarius said.

"I know, and it always made me angry. He's always been embarrassed that his older brother wasn't nearly as smart as him, so he started calling me his younger brother... I've tried to make him stop for years now... but after the first hundred I gave up on trying."

"Hundred?! How old are you two?" Aya asked, a bit shocked.

"I'm 312, Raz is only 245." Valen sighed, sitting on the ground. "What do you think they'll do to him?"

"I don't know... maybe try to get some information from him or convert him to their side. It's hard to say." Ruby said.

"We have to find where they're keeping him and attack them!" Valen shouted, punching the ground.

"The ASP headquarters would probably be where they're keeping him. A shame we don't know where that is yet." I muttered, wondering where it could be.

"Maybe Parven has some idea of where it is. We'll ask when we get back to Suran." Bryenn said. "Right now we should just get Schimmel fixed up before heading back to Vvardenfell."

"You're... all leaving then?" Aya asked.

"Yeah, we've done what we came here to do. No reason to stay anymore." I said, starting down the tunnel.

"Ah... well, I'll head home for now. I have to add that area." Aya said, walking off down one of the other tunnels.

"Were do you live anyway?" Trelana inquired.

"Want to see? I haven't had visitors for a while."

"Sure!"

"I'll go too, if you don't mind." I said, following them.

"Barbarius, would you come too?" Aya asked.

"Uh... okay." Barbarius said rather cluelessly.

"We'll see you back at the Winged Guar later then." Ruby said. "Come on Bryenn, we should hurry."

"Right." Bryenn said, heading down the tunnel to the exit as quickly as he could having to carry Schimmel.

Valen gave us a wave before following after them.

--

"You live... here?" Barbarius asked, closing the false wall that acted as Aya's front door behind him.

There was an old table against the far wall, stacked with books. A few barrels and chests of varying sizes were in the corner, loaded with weapons, armor and the like. A bed was in the far right corner of the room, near the table. Aya was digging under the bed for something.

"Yeah, it's not that bad once you get used to it." Aya said, pulling dozens of old papers and scrolls from beneath her bed.

"I like it, at least there's plenty to read." I chuckled, beginning to look through all the books on the table.

"You would." Barbarius muttered.

"Here it is." Aya mumbled, picking up a scroll and unrolling it. "Nem, there should be a... not that one!" she reached over and snatched a book from my hands before I even opened it.

"Eh? What's wrong with that one?" I asked.

"It's not done yet. Stick with those for now." she gestured to a small stack of books on the edge of the table.

"Done? You mean... you wrote all these?" Trelana wondered.

"Yeah. Writing about my adventures and other stuff is what I do. Making this map was Joshua's thing." Aya said, holding up an unrolled scroll with a map of the bazaar sewers on it.

"Where is this Joshua guy anyway?" Barbarius inquired.

"Oh... he's..." Aya began.

"Dead." I sighed. "Figures."

"How do you...?"

I showed her the book in my hand, it was about one of her adventures. The one where Joshua met an untimely end to be specific. "I'm glad we didn't run into this 'Black Dart Gang' down here. We'd be dead too."

"Pretty stupid name for a gang." Barbarius commented.

"Don't take them lightly, they're dangerous." Aya said seriously.

"Very dangerous by the sound of things." I muttered, closing the book.

Aya stared at the map for a moment, then looked up. "I almost forgot... Barbarius... I want you to take something from my collection of weapons. It's an apology for... you know, knocking out one of your teeth. I just sell them anyway, so don't worry about what you take."

"I wondered why you asked me along..." Barbarius said, glancing over at one of the barrels. "Thanks, I think."

--

After Barbarius picked an enchanted ring out of Aya's collection and watching as she finished drawing the area we visited on her map, the four of us met up with the others at the Winged Guar. Schimmel was back on his feet without Bryenn's help, the healer in Mournhold was clearly an expert, all he had was a slight limp and that was supposed to go away in a couple days. We had a round of drinks to say farewell to Aya before heading to the palace, Aya said there was someone who could send us back to Vvardenfell there. The seven of us waited in line for transport, after Valen and Barbarius had gone through I glanced over at Aya, who looked a bit depressed.

"You can come if you want to." I said as Bryenn disappeared.

"I'd like to... but I made a promise to Joshua before he died. I promised I'd complete his map for him, so..." There was a flash as Ruby vanished. "I can't go with you, it has to be finished." Aya said.

I glanced at Schimmel just as he was teleported back to Vvardenfell. "I understand... I made a promise like that too. It was so long ago though, and I still haven't been able to keep it. I think that sometimes you make promises you can't, or shouldn't keep, but you don't realize it at the time. If it was to a good friend, they'd understand, especially if keeping that promise could cost you your life. Of course, I'm probably just trying to convince myself again, and I'm not one to be dissuaded." Trelana disappeared, and I walked up to the mage. "It was nice meeting you, Aya."

--

Mournhold faded in a flash, and I found myself in Ebonhart. The others had already started out the door, I hurried to catch up to them.

"Mournhold sure was interesting..." Barbarius said, looking at the ring he got from Aya.

"What does that do?" Bryenn asked.

"It's supposed to boost your luck for a bit... according to Aya. I dunno how you'd tell if it was working or not though."

"Ohh... nice." Trelana said, examining it.

Valen had gone off ahead, leaving us behind. I stopped for a moment after we descended a staircase along Ebonhart's inner wall. Ruby, who was a few paces ahead with Schimmel seemed to notice and turned back. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"I just... was thinking about something. Nothing you need to worry about." I said, walking up to Schimmel. "I was going to ask you something though... what-"

"Gotcha!" A yell from the top of the wall cut me off. I turned back to see something soar through the air at me. I ducked just in time, but Schimmel wasn't so lucky. He rolled across the ground with whatever it was attached to him.

"What the..." I muttered.

Aya was now sitting on his back, smiling at us. "Miss me?"


	34. The Origin

**Chapter 34: The Origin**

"Any info about their HQ Valen?" Ruby asked as he sat down.

He grumbled something, looking around the table at Ruby, Trelana, Schimmel and myself. "Not a thing. Parven's useless."

We had gotten back to Suran a couple hours ago. Aya ran off on her own, but Bryenn chased after her with Barbarius. Valen charged into Parven's office and the rest of us went straight to the pub. "That's nothing new." I muttered.

"Damn it... I can't sit still... I'm gonna take a walk." Valen grumbled, getting up and walking back out of the pub.

"Um... Trelana?" Schimmel muttered.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Can we talk for a bit, alone?"

"Just what do you need to talk about alone?" Ruby asked crossly.

"It's... something personal."

"Fine." Ruby got up and walked off.

"I think you made her mad again..." I said, getting up as well.

"I think you're right. Would you go after her and try to calm her down?" Schimmel asked.

"You know that's like sending the scrib after the kagoti, right?" Trelana giggled.

"Are you calling me a bug?" I grumbled.

"A cute bug." she grinned.

"Well, I suppose it's better than being the vicious monster that's ugly as sin." I chuckled.

"Just what are you implying?" Ruby snapped.

I flinched at the sound of her voice. "Crap... why didn't you tell me she was right behind me?"

"It's more amusing this way." Trelana said, still grinning.

"For you maybe... gotta run!" I turned and charged out the tavern door.

"Come back here!" Ruby shouted, running after me.

"The way they act, sometimes I can't tell if they're friends or not." Trelana laughed.

--

After Ruby calmed down, I made my way back to the base and wandered into the barracks. Since it was still pretty early, there was only one person there. I walked by them without even stopping to see who it was, going to a bed in the far corner.

"Hiya Nem!" The person said brightly.

I slumped onto the bed and glanced over at the speaker. Aya was sitting on the bed smiling, writing something in one of her books. "I wondered where you ran off to. What's that, another story?"

"Yeah, something like that. Thanks for convincing me to leave Mournhold for a while, I'm sure the experience will come in handy." She closed her book, putting it into a bag by the bed.

"Aya..."

"Yes?"

"How would you like an example of High Rock literature?" I asked, reaching into my robe and removing a rather small book from it.

"Something from that far away? Sure!" She said enthusiastically, walking over and grabbing the book. She flipped it open and started to read, sitting down on the bed next to mine. "Hmm... 'The Locked Door' huh? Sounds like a book for thieves, or about one." she commented as she read the title.

"You know what they say, never judge a book by its cover... or in this case, its title." I chuckled.

Aya finished it quickly, it was pretty short after all. When she started she had an excited expression on her face, but now she looked a bit confused. "Are all books from High Rock like this?" she inquired.

"No. That one's a rarity."

"Pretty bad rarity... whoever wrote it really didn't have much skill."

"Yeah, I suppose I'm more suited to reading than writing."

Aya stared at me for a second. "You mean... you wrote this?!"

"Yep. It's old though, really old. I didn't try much after that."

"It's not... I mean..." she stuttered.

"It's crap. I'm well aware of that." I laughed.

"Well... but you could... you need to get some more practice I think. Why not do what I did? Write about your adventures for practice! I'm sure you've had plenty working for Parven, and it'll be just what you need."

"You can't be serious... I gave up writing a long time ago." I mumbled, laying down.

"Aww, don't say that! Come on..." she got up and walked back over to her bag, digging through it for something. She pulled out a book and tossed it at me. "You can use that!"

It landed on the bed. I picked it up and began flipping through the pages. "It's blank..."

"Of course! You can use that, I have enough of them."

"Thanks, I guess..." I muttered, setting it on the floor and sliding it under the bed. "I'll decide what to do with it in the morning."

"All right. I'm going to see what everyone else is doing. Goodnight!" she said, walking off.

I rolled onto my side and waited until I heard the door close behind her. After that I sat up and reached under the bed, grabbing the empty book. "Write about my adventures... I doubt it'd be that interesting, but I suppose it can't hurt."

That was the day I began this journal. It took me so long to get back to this point, so much has happened since then. It seemed like all the trouble began after I started this, all the really bad trouble at least. Fargoth and Raz's disappearances... along with the other few guild members I never got to know... I realize now they were an omen of what was to come... but I digress. The following three days are where I should continue.

--

"Nem! Wake up! NOW!" Someone shouted, shaking me violently.

I groaned, slowly opening my eyes and saw Ruby staring at me, she didn't look happy. "What now? I said I was sorry for calling you a beast." I yawned.

"Forget about that! Where is Schimmel!? Nobody I ask has seen him and Trelana's missing too! Did they run off together?!" She continued to shout, shaking me again.

"Schimmel and Trelana are gone? You don't think they were abducted by the ASP like Raz was do you?"

"I don't know! Get up and help me search for them!" She said quickly, pulling me up and out of the barracks.

The second we went out the front door to the guild, Ruby came to an abrupt stop. It took me a moment to realize why. Trelana was walking down the road, talking with a Breton and an Imperial. Ruby ran at her, forgetting to let go of my robe and dragging me along behind her. "Trelana! What have you done with Schimmel?!"

The two people she was with jumped, but Trelana just gave her a confused look. "What, he didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?!" Ruby snapped.

"That he was going somewhere... he didn't tell me where though, just that he'd be back in a couple days. I figured he would have told you before leaving."

"So... he's okay?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"Well he won't be okay when he gets back! Damn it! How dare he make me worry like that again! Stupid blonde Imperial pain in the..." Ruby grumbled, storming off toward the town.

"Is she always like that?" The Breton inquired.

"Only sometimes, Ray. Just don't get on her bad side." Trelana said.

"Sometimes I think the only side she has is a bad one." I commented.

"Now you're being mean." Trelana grinned. "By the way, this is Ray..." she gestured to the Breton on her right, then to the Imperial on her left. "and this is Carol. Ray, Carol, this is Nem."

"Nice to meet you." Carol said with a smile.

"Well if it isn't two of our three newest members!" Someone said brightly from behind me. I knew right away it was Parven. "I'm sorry to cut your tour short, but I need to borrow Nem and Trelana. A mission has come up."

"Haven't you ever heard of a break, Parven?" I asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"You can sleep when you're dead. Unless a necromancer gets his hands on your corpse, of course." Parven laughed.

I turned and followed him back to his office with Trelana, leaving the two newcomers at the door. When we arrived in his office, Bryenn, Barbarius and Aya were already there. I sighed at the sight of them. "Not another group assignment?"

"Of course! Ruby is going as well, she has already been filled in on the details." Parven said, taking a seat behind his desk.

"What's the mission, a new base already?" Bryenn asked.

"No, no. Nothing like that. There has been some sort of disturbance in Gnaar Mok, and I have reason to believe the ASP is involved. I sent another group to deal with it while you were dispatched to Mournhold, but they never reported back. I want you all to go see what is happening there, and if the other group was successful or not." Parven explained.

"Wouldn't it be easier to send one person to see what's going on, then a group if there's trouble?" Barbarius asked.

"If the other team did fail, the residents would still be in trouble. If I only send one person and that is the case, that person could easily be killed before he has a chance to report back."

"Is Gnaar Mok a big city?" Aya wondered.

"Don't get excited... that place is pathetic. Small, boring and it smells odd." I muttered.

"Hey! Don't insult my hometown!" Valen snapped as he entered the room. "Is something happening to Gnaar Mok? If there is, I want to go help."

"I have another job for you, Valen. Now then, the rest of you be on your way. Valen, there's something I need your help with, have a seat and I'll explain." Parven said calmly, grinning stupidly as he always did.

The rest of us left his office and I headed straight to the tavern. I slumped onto a barstool and glanced up at the familiar Argonian behind the bar. Before I could order anything someone behind me spoke.

"Nem, what are you doing? We have to go to Gnaar Mok."

I glanced back at Bryenn and the others, who had apparently followed me. "Look, Ruby woke me up, very rudely I might add, and dragged be out of bed before I could even wake up properly. Then I'm introduced to two new people that were daft enough to sign up for this guild in the first place. Finally I'm told about another idiotic mission and expected to leave right away. This morning sucked, and as far as I'm concerned the day will not continue until I get breakfast." I said stubbornly, then turned back to the Argonian. "I'll have what I usually have..."

The Argonian hesitated for a moment. "I'm afraid we're out of Kwama Eggs, sera."

I stared at him for a second, then hit my head against the counter. "No luck... at all. Fine, you win Bry, lets just get this crappy day over with." I grumbled, getting up and heading out the door.


	35. Ghost Town

**Chapter 35: Ghost Town**

The small boat drifted slowly across the water. I stared tiredly down into the depths, watching the few slaughterfish below. Ruby was sitting nearby with Trelana, trying to get her to explain what Schimmel had wanted to talk about privately yesterday. Bryenn and Barbarius were trying to calm Aya down, who was hopping a bit excitedly since it was her first time on a boat. It would've been her second, but she insisted on walking from Ebonheart to Vivec to see some of the flora and fauna on Vvardenfell, and I won't go into detail about her first reaction upon seeing a silt strider.

I had almost fallen asleep by the time we arrived at Gnaar Mok. I yawned and followed everyone out of the boat, bumping into Bryenn as he came to an abrupt stop. If Trelana hadn't been behind me to keep me from falling, I probably would have stumbled backwards off the dock and fallen back into the boat. "Would you give some warning before doing that, Bry?" I said with a slight yawn.

"Sorry... but don't you notice something off?" Bryenn asked.

I leaned around him to get a look at the town, but didn't see anything unusual. "I don't see a thing."

"Exactly."

"Huh?"

"And you call yourself a scholar..." Trelana sighed.

"Well excuse me for not being very observant when I just wake up... do you have any idea what they're talking about, Schimmel?" I grumbled. There was no reply. "Schimmel...?"

"You moron... Schimmel's not here, remember?" Ruby said.

"Oh... right..."

"Now if we can get to the point... the city is..." Bryenn trailed off.

"Totally deserted, by the look of it." Barbarius finished his sentence, walking over to one of the buildings and peering in the window..

I looked around the town. They were right, there was no sign of life anywhere apart from us and a slaughterfish or two in the water. It didn't look like there was a fight, it appeared that everyone had up and left. "That's odd..."

A clicking came from Barbarius' direction. He was crouched in front of the door of a house, working the keyhole with a lockpick. "Almost got it..." he muttered.

"See? He is a thief." I commented.

"Shut up, Nem."

"What're you doing?! Just because the place is empty doesn't mean I'll let you start robbing people!" Bryenn snapped.

"Open... the... DOOR!" Aya shouted, followed shortly by a smash. We all looked over in time to see the she was in front of fly open after she kicked it.

"Aya! What do you think you're doing?!" Bryenn yelled.

"She's sure not subtle, if anyone was in town they're bound to have heard that." Ruby said.

"I thought maybe they were hiding from us... so I wanted to check. Nobody's in this house." Aya said after quickly glancing around the one room house she had broken into.

"I thought that too, nothing here either though." Barbarius said, closing the door he had unlocked while we had been distracted by Aya.

"We should search the whole town, there has to be someone left here..." Bryenn said.

"Well, since Razelus isn't here, I'll say it. Lets split up!"

"How dense are you? The town is tiny, there's no reason for that." Ruby sighed.

"He just wants to be on his own so he can steal stuff." I chuckled.

"You shut up." Barbarius snapped. "I'm going to take a look around by myself anyway, even if just to get away from you for a while." he grumbled, quickly walking away.

"I'll come with you!" Aya said brightly, running after Barbarius.

"I wonder what's wrong with him... oh well. I'll search the house on the hill." I said simply, heading toward it.

"Seems like a good place to start. Coming Trelana, Ruby?" Bryenn asked, following me.

"I'm going to finish looking through the small houses first." Trelana said, unlocking one of them with a spell. "Care to help me, Ruby?"

Ruby wasn't paying attention, she seemed to be focused on something else. Trelana tapped her shoulder and she jumped slightly. "Oh... no. I'm going to have a quick walk around the outskirts of town. Maybe there are some footprints or something..." She mumbled, walking off.

"She's acting oddly as well..." I commented. "Oh well, it's probably because Schimmel headed off without a word to her. Be careful on your own, Trelana."

"I'm always careful, but it's nice to know you're worried about me." Trelana smiled.

"Uh... sure. Come on, Bryenn."

--

Barbarius slammed the door behind him as he entered one of the houses. A moment later it opened and Aya stepped in. "In a bad mood, Barbie?" she wondered.

"Yes, and it'll be worse if you start calling me that too." Barbarius grumbled.

"Sorry... but what's wrong? I didn't see you as the grouchy type."

"It's just been one thing after another, ever since that day."

"What day?"

Barbarius sat down on a chair in the corner of the room. "The day I had my first run in with the ASP. It's been downhill ever since then. I just don't think I'm going to be able to really relax until they've been wiped out. Nem calling me Barbie and a thief all the time doesn't help either."

"I don't know much about the ASP yet... but you are pretty thief-like. You use daggers, can pick locks, disarm traps, turn invisible..."

"Okay, I get it... but just because I have the skills of a thief doesn't mean I am one."

"I think you're just stressed... why not just try to relax here for a bit? I'll come and get you when we finish searching the town."

Before Barbarius could reply, a scream came from outside. Aya dashed out to investigate, Barbarius close behind.

--

"That's everywhere... except for the house Nem and Bryenn went to." Trelana sighed. "No blood anywhere even, but why would everyone just leave? It doesn't make any sense." she started walking toward the house on the hill, but stopped when she heard voices coming from behind one of the houses.

"...ing about?"

"I was sent to find him, but since you're here..."

"You're passing the duty on to me? You know my policy."

Trelana crept over to the side of the building and peeked around the corner. Ruby was talking to a Dunmer with sleek, silver hair. Neither of them were looking in her direction, and she couldn't decide if it was a good idea to interrupt them or not.

"Yes, but this is important." The Dunmer said, crossing his arms. "He has to be dealt with, he's a threat."

"I'm well aware of that!" Ruby snapped. "Now that I know... the second he drops his guard, I'll slit his throat. Happy?"

"I am, but the master isn't. After what happened a couple days ago, can you really expect him to be? You're moving too fast."

"That is not my fault!"

"I suppose not, but we've had to make something up rather quickly because of it. You'll get a notice about the details in the usual place."

"Fine. Now-"

A scream cut Ruby off.

"What the hell was that?" The Dunmer wondered.

"It sounded like... you get out of here, I'll take care of everything." Ruby said quickly, running off.

Trelana waited until the Dunmer departed before hurrying toward where the scream came from as well.

--

The door of the house opened with a creak, and Bryenn cautiously made his way inside. "It looks like this place is empty too..." he said after walking through the rooms on the first floor.

"Probably not, but we had better check everywhere. I'll look in the basement, you take the second floor." I said, heading downstairs before he even had a chance to reply.

I searched the basement from corner to corner, but still didn't find anyone. I began to head back upstairs, but stopped after glancing over my shoulder. There were a few crates down there, easily big enough for a person to hide in. I walked over to one of them and lifted the lid off. It was full of kwama eggs. I looked in each of the others, but only found more food and a few old pieces of clothing. I shook my head and went back upstairs to find Bryenn.

He wasn't on the first floor, and from what I could tell, the second floor wasn't large enough for his search to take this long. I started toward the staircase, glancing at a shelf of bottles, glasses, bowls and booze as I passed. I slowed down, glancing back at the rest of the room. Something seemed off, but I couldn't tell what.

"Hey you! Wait!" I heard Bryenn shout from upstairs.

I hurried up to see what was going on, but only caught a glimpse of Bryenn as he ran through the door to the balcony. I dashed out after him, but he was gone. It took me a second to realize he had jumped off and was now chasing someone. They were going east out of town.

I quickly jumped off the balcony to chase them without thinking, or looking. I hadn't noticed the large rock below until I landed on it. I felt and heard my ankle snap, screaming in pain as I hit the ground. I looked up at where I had seen Bryenn and the stranger before I leapt, but they had both vanished.


	36. Witch Hunt

**Chapter 36: Witch Hunt**

"Reckless idiot." Ruby commented.

"Who are you talking about, me or Bryenn?" I asked.

"I meant you, but it fits Bryenn as well. He should know better than to run off on his own and you should know better than to jump around like that! You're the farthest thing from an acrobat!"

"Don't be too hard on him, he just acted without thinking." Aya said, watching Trelana attempt to heal my ankle. "I bet he does that a lot, right Trelana?"

She didn't respond, her mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"Trelana? You okay?" Barbarius wondered.

"Quit spacing out!" Ruby yelled.

Trelana jumped at Ruby's voice. "R-right..." she stuttered. "Is that any better?"

"Yeah, thanks." I said, getting up and trying to walk. My ankle was still sore, and I couldn't put much weight on it without it getting worse, but catching up with Bryenn was more important than personal comfort.

"You had better go to a real healer when we get back to Suran. My healing magicka is more suited to cuts and bruises than broken bones."

"At least I can walk. Now we can go after Bryenn."

"You said he was going east, but the road forks shortly after crossing the bridge. There's no way to tell if he went north or south after that." Barbarius said.

"If they were running, there's bound to be footprints or something. It shouldn't be that difficult." Ruby said, starting down the road. "Come on."

--

We left Gnaar Mok, carefully traversing the "bridge" out of town. How a few planks laid across rocks is considered a bridge is beyond me. When we got to the fork, Ruby began examining the ground for a trail. It wasn't long before she told us to head south, and hurried off ahead of us. Aya dashed after her, pulling Barbarius along. I limped along rather slowly behind Trelana, still wondering what seemed out of place in that house.

"Nem... you're thinking too hard again aren't you?" Trelana asked suddenly.

"There was something odd about that house Bryenn and I searched. Nothing was out of place, but..." I trailed off, lost in thought again.

"There was no sign of a fight in any of the places I searched either. They must have packed up and left on their own."

"Packed... wait a second. That's what was wrong! I looked through the crates in the basement, and everything was still there. The shelves were still holding plates and such... if they had left of their own accord, wouldn't they have taken at least some of it with them?"

"Now that I think about it, nothing seemed to be missing in any house I checked... but if they were taken by force there should have been something to show that. I didn't see so much as a broken glass. It doesn't make any sense."

"At least we know they were taken now, at least it seems that way. How could someone do something like that though, and why?"

"Maybe..." Trelana glanced ahead at Ruby, who had slowed down so she wouldn't leave us behind. She continued to stare at Ruby in silence, a slightly puzzled look on her face.

"Now you're the one thinking too hard. What's wrong?"

"I... saw Ruby talking to someone in Gnaar Mok."

"Could it have been the person Bryenn chased after?"

"No. He was talking to her when we heard you scream. He looked like an agent, or assassin. He said she's supposed to kill someone... but I didn't hear who."

"Could he have been another Forlorn member? There was a group that came here before us."

"I guess so... and she could be a member of the Camonna Tong, or some other organization. Still, there's always the possibility..."

"Hm?"

"That the person she is supposed to kill... is one of us."

I couldn't help but laugh at hearing this. "I doubt it. Ruby may be short-tempered, a bit crass and slightly sadistic, but she's our friend. I may not get along with her at times, but I know she'd never put a knife in my back."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Real friends stab you in the front." I chuckled.

"It's nothing to joke about!"

"Sorry, I just can't take something like that seriously. I trust Ruby. Just like I trust you, Schimmel, Bryenn, Barbarius and Razelus."

"What about Valen and Aya?"

"Them too."

"That's a big change from when you were at the Mages' Guild. You didn't seem to trust anyone then."

"That's only because I didn't like any of them. They seemed to believe whatever crap Edwinna made up about me, but that's getting off the topic. There's no reason to think Ruby's our enemy."

"She does seem to hate Parven..."

"So? I hate him too. More than once I've wanted to shove him off a bridge, or worse."

"Forget it. Just... don't let your guard down if you're alone with her, okay?"

"All right..."

--

We continued south down the road, but there was no sign of Bryenn and the mystery person he was chasing, other than the footprints they had left behind. Trelana kept glancing at Ruby nervously, who was too focused on the road to notice. Aya had run off ahead and was nowhere to be seen. Barbarius seemed a bit distracted by something, staring vacantly off into the distance.

"Hey everyone! I found out where Bryenn is!" Aya shouted as she ran into view. "It's not far! Hurry up!" She shouted, before turning and running off again.

We all chased after her, until we once again lost sight of her. By the time we caught up to her she was standing at the bottom of a path leading up a hill.

Ruby stopped by her and looked up the hill, obviously a bit shocked at what she saw. "You can't be serious."

Barbarius and Trelana caught up with them as well, I was trailing behind because of my ankle. Trelana was, finally, focusing her attention on something other than Ruby. "It's a Dunmer stronghold..." she muttered.

I slowed to a stop beside her, glancing up at the massive stone structure. Aya hurried up the hill and staircase of the stronghold, not even hearing Barbarius when he told her to be careful. The rest of us followed her up, and stopped in the middle of the courtyard. The Keep's entrance was straight ahead, but there was another, smaller structure to the left.

"This must be Hlormaren." Trelana mumbled.

"It's so big!" Aya exclaimed, walking over to the smaller building. "What do you think is in here?"

"That's probably the Propylon Chamber. You can transport between strongholds in there, if you have the ri-" Trelana began.

"Ooh... it's pretty." Aya interrupted, opening the door and peering inside.

"We didn't come here for sightseeing!" Ruby snapped. "We have to find Bryenn, now hurry up!" she headed toward the door of the keep and kicked it open. The rest of us followed at a safe distance.

--

A long hallway stretched to the left and right, dimly lit by a handful of torches along the walls. Ruby glanced in each direction, then suggested we separate to search the first floor.

"We don't have the right amount of people for that." Trelana quickly pointed out.

"You're right... not to mention Aya's the only frontline fighter we have..." I said.

"I can fight up close if I have to. So... Aya can lead a team down the left path, I'll take the right." Ruby said, glancing down the hall again.

"All right! Barbarius, you come with me!" Aya said brightly, grabbing his arm.

"In that case, Nem can back me up. Trelana, since only you and Nem know good healing spells, you should go with them."

"Oh... okay..." Trelana muttered, giving me a worried look before following Aya, who had already hurried down the hallway, dragging Barbarius with her.

--

I followed Ruby down the tunnel, wondering where Bryenn could have disappeared to. We turned a corner and Ruby came to a sudden stop. Before I could ask what was wrong she pointed to a door up ahead, and began creeping over to it. I followed slowly behind her, watching as she opened the door and inch or so and peeking inside. She gasped and shut the door again quickly, looking slightly ill.

"What is it?" I asked in a whisper.

"It's... horrible. We have to find Bryenn quickly, if he has been captured... that could happen to him." Ruby said in a slight panic, dashing over to the next corner. "That fetcher... I'll kill him for this all right, regardless of orders." I heard her mutter.

I began to reach for the door to see what had upset her, when a scream echoed though the hallway. "Wasn't that..."

"AYA!" Ruby exclaimed, bolting down the hall.

I followed after her as quickly as I could. When we found Aya, she was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. She looked a bit like Ruby did after peering into the other room. Barbarius was standing by a door, also slightly green.

"Are you okay? Was it..." Ruby began.

"What in the world happened to them?" Aya asked, her normal upbeat tone replaced by a shaky one.

"You see... it's..." Ruby trailed off, clearly wondering how to explain whatever had happened.

I nudged Barbarius out of the way and pulled open the door to see what exactly had put them all in such a state. A foul smell seeped out of the room. Bodies were on the floor inside, they looked deformed. One's skin had turned greenish-gray and turned an unusual texture. One of them didn't have ANY skin, and was drenching the floor around it in blood. A third's head and left arm had morphed into that of some unidentifiable creature.

I slammed the door shut, starting to feel sick as well, but it was probably more from the smell than the sight. "Those people... are they from Gnaar Mok?"

"Most likely. There could be a few from Hla Oad and other travelers among them as well." Ruby said, glancing down the hallway.

"What happened to them? I still don't know everything about Vvardenfell, but from what I've heard about corpus, that's clearly not what's wrong with them." Barbarius said, looking at Ruby and waiting for an explanation.

"It's... hard to explain. Just know that we have to kill the fetcher responsible for it."

"That's obvious."

"I don't know why... but this seems familiar." I mumbled.

"You didn't..." Aya began.

"No, I didn't cause it, I've just seen it. I think it was when... wait a second..." I looked up and down the hall, just now realizing something. "Where's Trelana?!"

"Huh? I thought she was standing at the corner..."

"Damn it! First Bryenn, now Trelana! We have to hurry and find them!" I shouted, running off without thinking.


	37. Twisted Ambition

**Chapter 37: Twisted Ambition**

I dashed around the corner that Barbarius said Trelana had been standing by, ignoring whatever they had yelled when I did. I quickly came to a stop, noticing the door leading to the second floor had been left open and Trelana's staff laying near the top of the staircase leading up. I hurried up, picking up the staff as I passed. I gave the hallway a quick glance, but didn't see any sign of movement.

"I said wait, Nem!" Ruby yelled, running up behind me. Aya and Barbarius weren't far behind her.

"If we wait, things will only get worse! We're losing members one at a time, don't you get it?! This must be another ASP setup! They've been picking us off one by one for a while now. Mark, Harvey, Fargoth, Razelus... now Bryenn and Trelana! If they're behind what happened to Gnaar Mok too, I'll slaughter the lot of them myself!"

"Calm down, damn it!" Ruby shouted. "Think about it! This doesn't seem like an ASP operation to me, they don't usually go after innocent people!"

"Tell that to Sadrith Mora! I saw what they're capable of on my first mission. That fetcher Rodran killed the guards and took the city!"

"That-"

"Not long after that, Mortifer sent a raid on Gnisis! That's hardly keeping innocent people out of harm's way!"

"But..."

"Rachel had half of the people on our first big mission murdered, and went after Barbarius before he even heard of Forlorn!"

"That's true..." Barbarius muttered.

"Don't forget Rodran and Mortifer's other attacks on Dagon Fel, Harnaten's vendetta against Schimmel..."

"I get it!" Ruby shouted. "I'm still fairly certain that this isn't an ASP operation though! It just doesn't have the right feel. Normally ASP has bases like these are set up with a small battalion of men, but we haven't seen a soul! If the ASP were here, we should have had to kill at least one wimpy minion by now."

"That is true, they usually go for quantity over quality. I know that from all the times they attacked me on Solstheim." Barbarius said.

"We're wasting time. We can discuss it later, right now we have to find Trelana!" I said, turning to leave. I froze the second I looked down the hall. A Breton in a tattered gray robe was staring at us.

"Well, well... more familiar faces." He said, brushing his unkempt black hair out of his eyes. "Except for the girl behind the idiot thief, I don't think we've met before."

"Idiot... thief...? I'll kill you for that!" Barbarius snapped.

"You know him?" Aya wondered.

"I don't associate with scum." I muttered.

"I remember him. He's the one from the cave north of Suran." Ruby said, glaring at him. "You got him in the arm with a throwing knife, remember Barbarius?"

"Oh yeah, that freak. I'll be sure to aim for his throat this time." Barbarius said with a grin.

"I won't die that easily, but your friends will... if you don't save them." The Breton chortled, dashing out of sight.

The four of us charged after him, following him up the next staircase that led to the roof.

--

The moment we burst through the door outside, the laughter of that psychotic Breton filled the air. He was standing atop the propylon chamber, looking down at us. "Once again, you get to be my test subjects! You should be honored, nobody else has survived their first time!" He laughed.

"Test subjects!? Give it up! We're not going to let you get away with killing innocent people!" Ruby shouted.

"I'm simply doing this to prove my worth, you of all people should know what that's like! With this, he'll know what he did to me was a mistake! With this... I will prove that I am the right choice to become the seventh! Behold, my Nixbrid!"

A roar came from behind us. I glanced back and saw a beast at least ten feet tall lumbering toward us. It resembled a Nix Hound, but stood on two legs and looked much stronger. I was instantly reminded of the one in the cave, the one that took seven of us to topple. That one looked as strong as a scrib in comparison to this one.

"I have made a discovery with my latest creation. I was a fool before, picking people and hounds randomly to merge. The stronger each are, the more powerful the outcome! I finally found a decent warrior that was stupid enough to come right to me, and volunteer for my experiment." The Breton laughed.

"Nobody in their right mind would volunteer for this!" Ruby yelled.

"An unconscious person in close enough, in my opinion."

"A warrior... he can't mean..." I muttered.

"B-Bryenn? No way! He... he couldn't..." Aya stuttered.

The Breton laughed again. "I'll leave you to kill each other. There's another matter I must attend to. If you really want to know if that is your friend, just open the door it's guarding... if you can survive that long." He leapt off the top of the building, landing gently on the ground thanks to a slowfall spell, and walked casually through the front door of the stronghold.

"Don't just walk away damn you!" Ruby shouted over the edge of the roof.

"Ruby, look out!" Aya cried.

The 'Nixbrid' as the Breton called it, had rushed over when we were focused on him and swung one of it's massive arms at Ruby. She didn't have time to react, and was sent skidding across the roof from it's blow.

Barbarius threw a couple knives at it's back, getting it's attention. I dashed over to Ruby, who seemed to have been knocked out by the attack.

"Wake up, Ruby! We're probably gonna need everyone to take this thing down! Don't sleep on the job!" I shouted, shaking her.

Ruby groaned, sitting up and rubbing her head. "The seventh... he's out of his mind. The only thing this'll get him is executed. Idiot." She mumbled.

"What are you..."

"Aya! Don't be stupid!" Ruby yelled, ignoring me. "You can't hurt that thing with your fists!"

"What am I supposed to do then?" Aya asked, punching it in the back again. As strong as she was, it was obvious she wasn't hurting it bare handed. "All I have are my fists! I don't like weapons and never took the time to try learning any spells!"

"You'll just get in the way here then, go after Orland! That fetcher has to die!"

"Orland? You mean that Breton?"

"Who else!?" Ruby got up and began hurling throwing knives at the Nixbrid as well. "Now get moving!"

"Right!" Aya dashed over to the door back downstairs, but couldn't get it open. "It's locked! How... ah!" She turned, running to the edge of the roof and leaping off. She rolled as she landed, quickly getting up and running into the stronghold.

"She's nuts..." I mumbled.

"Would you stop standing around and do something useful, Nem?!" Ruby shouted.

"Ah, s-sorry!" I stuttered, quickly firing a shockball at the Nixbrid.

--

The three of us kept at it for a while, but it wasn't long before we were all getting tired and low on equipment. I had used up all my magicka on shockball spells and was down to my last three arrows. Barbarius and Ruby had both run out of throwing weapons, and were now taking turns distracting and stabbing the beast with their daggers.

"This is going nowhere... we need a fighter!" Barbarius complained.

"There's nobody else here, what do you suggest?" I asked.

"You two distract it. I'll pick the lock on the dome and let the prisoners out. Maybe one of them can help." Barbarius suggested.

"Better than no plan. Go!" Ruby said, lunging at the Nixbrid and stabbing it in the leg.

Barbarius hurried over to the door to the dome atop the stronghold and started to pick the lock.

I fired my last arrow at the Nixbrid's head before rushing at it with my dagger drawn. I stabbed it in the side, but wasn't able to get out of its reach fast enough. Its claws dug into my side, knocking me halfway across the rooftop before I finally collided with the side of the dome. I thought I heard someone scream my name as I landed, but my mind was more focused on the pain than anything else.

The next thing I knew Trelana was crouched over me, clearly relieved. I quickly sat up, wondering what had happened. There were three slices out of my robe and the shirt beneath it, but no wound.

"Don't worry, I healed you." Trelana said, doing her best to keep a calm tone. "Barbarius unlocked the door and went back to fighting the-"

A scream of pain came from the direction of the battle. We looked over in time to see Barbarius skidding across the roof and bumping his head into the dome not far from us before he stopped.

"Oh no, Barbarius!" Trelana cried, rushing over to him.

I turned my attention back to the fight just as Ruby was struck. She flew backwards for a short distance and hit the roof hard. I tried to cast a shockball spell at the Nixbrid, forgetting I had no energy for it.

The beast advanced on her, raising its arm for another strike. I reached for my dagger that was on the ground a couple feet away, but wasn't able to even touch it before I heard the Nixbrid's claws connect with the roof and Ruby scream.


	38. Bloodstained Steel

**Chapter 38: Bloodstained Steel**

The Nixbrid's claws were dug into the roof next to Ruby. She was staring at it, clearly shocked. I wasn't sure why it missed until I noticed a glint of metal from in front of it. Someone was standing in front of the Nixbrid, their sword impaled into it's arm. I couldn't see their face, but going by their build and clothing I could have sworn it was Schimmel.

"Honestly, Ruby. You're getting soft hanging around with these weaklings." An unfamiliar voice chuckled, it definitely wasn't Schimmel. By the accent it had to be a Dunmer.

"What... what are you doing here?" Ruby stuttered.

"I save your life and not even a thank you. Talk about ungrateful." The person sighed, leaping away from the Nixbrid as it tried to grab him. With the next jump he landed on the beasts back, slashing the back of it's head before jumping off and landing next to me.

I stared blankly at him, wondering how anyone could move that effortlessly. He looked me over and grinned. "You're... Nem, right? Nice to finally meet you."

"Uh..." I mumbled, not sure how to respond.

"You're the guy I saw talking to Ruby in Gnaar Mok!" Trelana exclaimed.

The Dunmer glanced over his shoulder at her. "That's me. And you're the one that was spying on us. Trelana, right?"

"Y-you knew?"

"I'm an assassin. Hearing people sneaking up on me is the only reason I'm still alive."

"Ganus! This is no time for introductions!" Ruby shouted. "If you haven't noticed, your killing techniques didn't seem to do anything to this thing except make it mad!" She was doing her best to keep its attention away from us, since Barbarius seemed to have been knocked out when his head hit the wall.

"I was hoping I'd show up and save the day myself. No such luck, huh? Looks like you're the only one that can kill it now." Ganus said with a shrug.

"How am I supposed to do that?!" Ruby snapped, dodging another swing.

"Oh right." Ganus took something long wrapped in cloth off his back and tossed it to Ruby. "Use that!"

Ruby caught it and quickly rolled out of the way as the Nixbrid continued to relentlessly attack her. She ripped the cloth off the object as soon as she was out of the beast's reach. It turned out to be an old staff with a large ruby mounted on one end. Ruby stared at it for a moment. "This is my... and you just throw it carelessly?! Damn it, Ganus! After the Nixbrid, you're next!"

"Geez... does she have any emotion other than anger?" Ganus asked quietly.

"Yeah..." I said, thinking back to the events in Mournhold. "...but anger seems to trump most of the others. Tell me though, how is a staff supposed to help her kill that thing?"

"Just stand back and watch."

Ruby was aiming the tip of the staff at the Nixbrid, but nothing seemed to be happening.

"What's the hold up, Ruby?! It should've been dead by now!" Ganus yelled.

She hesitated for a moment, then the end of her staff began to glow red. A glowing orb shot from the tip, striking the Nixbrid in the face.

The next part is a blur... there was a massive explosion that knocked me backwards into the dome, and a crash. By the time my vision got back to normal after being blinded by the initial flash, Ruby was standing at the roof's edge where part of the short wall along it had been blown away. Ganus was still standing, or had already gotten up, and was helping Trelana regain her senses. She must've been taken off guard as well.

I unsteadily got to my feet and walked over to Ruby. She was staring down at the Nixbrid. It was on the stone yard below. At least the lower half of it was, the upper half seemed to have been scattered everywhere.

"Trelana, was Bryenn in that dome with you?" Ruby asked, still staring down.

"No... and none of the others I asked in there had seen him." Trelana mumbled.

"He could have been transformed without ever having to be put in there... so that doesn't tell us anything. We need something to tell us for certain if it was him or not."

"We'll search the stronghold. Aya still hasn't come back either, we have two people to find." I said.

"Three." Ruby handed the staff to Ganus and walked to the door back into the stronghold. "That fetcher Orland has to die for this." She touched the door, there was a light glow and the lock clicked open. "Hurry up." She said as she walked inside.

"Why doesn't she ever tell us she can do things like that?" I sighed, following her.

"I'll join you after I take care of Barbarius." Trelana said, dashing over to him.

"I have other matters to attend to. A shame I couldn't have met the person I was looking forward to seeing. Farewell." Ganus jumped off the roof and ran off in the direction of Hla Oad.

--

Ruby and I searched the second floor for any sign of Bryenn, Aya or Orland, but didn't find anything. The first floor was empty as well. Barbarius and Trelana rejoined us just before we entered the underground area.

The underground consisted of a large, mostly empty room and four smaller rooms that houses a handful of nix hounds each. After killing the nix hounds, since they rushed us the moment they saw us, we continued through a door leading down into the sewers.

Apart from a few rats, the sewers were devoid of life. I walked over the water, running through the middle of the tunnels to avoid the rats, and Ruby just kicked them out of the way. Trelana used her bag of tricks to investigate a flooded tunnel we came across, but it just brought her out somewhere she could have walked without getting waterlogged.

As we came toward the end of the sewers, we glanced down the last tunnel off to the side. Someone was facedown on the ground, and there was a splatter of blood on the wall. We hurried over and found Aya. Her shoulder was wounded and had a lump on the back of her head, but she was alive. Her right arm was stretched out, and it looked as if she was trying to point further down the tunnel. Unfortunately, the tunnel was flooded.

--

Trelana used a healing spell on Aya's wounds before handing me a magicka potion and Ruby one of her enchanted trinkets. Leaving Barbarius to take care of Aya, the three of us dove into the water and began swimming down the tunnel. It was an odd sensation. The water breathing spell Razelus had taught me worked well, but it was only the second or third time I had used it.

Eventually the tunnel came to an end at a door. We pushed it open and found ourselves outside, at an exit, or entrance to Hlormaren that was hidden from the view of any normal travelers. We swam south until we found a way onto the shore by a large tree.

We could see the stronghold just up ahead, but Ruby was more interested in something sticking out of the tree we came up by. That's when I noticed the liquid running along the ground at the tree trunk's base and toward the water.

We hurried around the tree, and Trelana gasped at the sight. The Breton was pinned against the tree, a claymore thrust through his chest.

"Looks like you got what you deserved, Orland. I'm only sorry it wasn't me that did it." Ruby said.

I would've asked her how she knew his name was Orland in the first place, since he never introduced himself, but I was more focused on the sword. I gripped the hilt and gave it a hard yank out of the tree. Orland's corpse slumped onto the ground, followed shortly by the claymore's blade. How anyone could wield a sword this heavy was beyond me.

"What are you doing?" Trelana wondered.

"This sword... it's Bryenn's." I muttered, examining it.

"Doesn't that mean... Bryenn's alive?!" She exclaimed.

"No. Someone else could have used it. Bryenn likes this sword too much to just leave it behind. It couldn't have just been some bandit that did this either, the sword is more valuable than anything this fetcher could have been carrying." Ruby said.

"Whatever the case, I'm not leaving it behind." I said, trying to lift it but having a difficult time. "We'd better get back to Barbarius and Aya."

"I'll go get them..." Trelana mumbled, hurrying down the road toward the stronghold.

I laid the sword on the ground and sat down. "Does this mean that Bryenn was that Nixbrid thing?"

"It means we still don't know for sure. The only person that knew can't exactly tell us now." Ruby said, kicking Orland's body.

"Just like I said. We're being picked off one by one..." I sighed. "Who's next? Schimmel? Aya? Trelana? Me? I don't know what's worse... not knowing or not being able to do a damn thing to stop it."

"Too hard to say. I did notice I wasn't on that little list of yours, though."

"Oh please, you're too stubborn to die or be captured. Schimmel's a klutz, Aya's reckless, Trelana and I aren't exactly built for battle... we're all easy pickings if they plan it out right. You're just vicious, it's hard to kill people like that."

"You're wrong, I'm not vicious. I've seen people like that, killing without reason or remorse. And I've sworn to give anyone that does such things a knife in the throat. Maybe they won't find it as enjoyable if they're on the receiving end. This guy was one of them."

I heard a splash and glanced over my shoulder. Ruby had tossed Orland's corpse into the water. A few slaughterfish were already speeding through the water at it. "From deranged mage to fish food. I'd call that a step up."

"At least now we know he's good and dead."

It wasn't long before Trelana returned with Barbarius, Aya and the rest of the people from Gnaar Mok that we had forgotten about in our haste to find the others. The five of us made our way back to Gnaar Mok with the survivors. From there we got on a boat and began the journey back to Suran.


	39. Dazed and Confused

**Chapter 39: Dazed and Confused**

"Fetcher." Ruby mumbled, dropping onto a barstool.

We had just reported what happened at Hlormaren to Parven, who had very little reaction about what happened to Bryenn apart from: "That's a pity." Then brushed us off saying he had something else to do. I couldn't blame Ruby for being mad after that, the rest of us were too. Aya wandered off on her own, but the rest of us headed straight for the pub.

"I can't believe he could just act like it was nothing." Trelana muttered.

"Doesn't surprise me a bit. He doesn't care about his members in the least." Ruby grumbled.

"What do you think he had to do?" I wondered.

"He was probably just trying to get rid of us." Barbarius muttered.

"Maybe..."

"Where do you think Schimmel is anyway? As far as I know he's not back yet, and that worries me." Ruby said, glancing around the pub. Raymond and Caroline were off in a corner talking, and a lone Redguard was sitting at the other end of the bar. "He shouldn't have just wandered off like that without telling us where he was going."

"Yeah. He can be such a klutz sometimes, he should've taken one of us with him." Trelana added.

"Isn't he the lucky one, having both of you worrying about him." Barbarius chuckled.

"Just what do you mean by that?" Ruby asked, glaring at him.

"I..."

The door suddenly swung open and Aya dashed in, dragging someone behind her. "Hey guys, look what I found falling off the Silt Strider!"

"I only fell because you surprised me." Schimmel complained.

"Welcome ba-" Barbarius was promptly cut off by Ruby.

"Why did you run off on your own like that!? Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" She snapped.

"Uh..." Schimmel stared vacantly at her, clearly surprised by her sudden outburst.

"You'll have to excuse her, Schimmel. She's probably just upset after what happened. I'm sure everyone is, we just show it differently. A shame she has to be so loud about it though, noisy people annoy me." I sighed.

"Nobody asked you!" Ruby yelled.

"He does have a point though..." Trelana muttered.

Schimmel scratched his head. "What are you talking about? What happened?"

We moved to a table, and told Schimmel what happened on our last mission. Unlike Parven, he actually had a reaction to the news. By the time the story had finished, I was starting to feel as depressed as Schimmel looked. I quickly excused myself and headed out the door, hoping to find something to take my mind off things.

--

I started walking north out of Suran, thinking a walk would help me relax. It didn't. Not long after I left I was bombarded by cliff racers and made a hasty retreat back to the city. After the cliff racers were killed with the help of a city guard, I decided it would be safer to cross the bridge and walk past the farms instead.

As I passed by the Blue Flame Pub, I heard a very familiar voice cry out from behind it.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

I hesitated for a moment, then went over to investigate.

"Answer me, damn it!"

"All right, all right... just keep your voice down."

I peered around the corner and saw Ruby talking to an Altmer in a dark red robe. I wasn't sure why, but he reminded me of someone. I just couldn't put my finger on who.

"Well? Speak up!" Ruby demanded.

"It was mostly Schimmel's idea. He's the reason I'm here." The Altmer answered.

"Schimmel? Does he know that you're..."

"Yes."

"What!? What about..."

"I kept that a secret, I'm not stupid you know."

Ruby sighed. "First Ganus shows up, now you. I have a feeling something big is going to happen soon."

"I wish I could tell you. How is Ganus doing, anyway?"

"You know him. He never changes. Always popping up out of nowhere and making problems for me."

"That's Ganus all right." The Altmer laughed. "So, about your-"

"Shut up. I thought I heard something." Ruby interrupted.

I heard footsteps coming and quickly stepped around the corner without thinking it through. "Oh, hi Ruby. I thought I heard voices back here." I said innocently.

"Nem... what are you doing? Spying on me?" Ruby asked, glaring at me.

"Oh please. I have better things to do than follow someone like you around. I was just taking a walk and heard someone behind here. It seemed like an odd place for a conversation, so I wondered if something was wrong." I said truthfully.

"No problem here. Just two old friends catching up." The Altmer smiled. "I'm Mossanon, newest member of Forlorn."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Nem."

"Ah, Schimmel mentioned you. You're a mage, correct? May I ask what field of magicka you specialize in?"

"What field? Uh..." I thought about the few spells I knew, but nothing stood out. "I suppose you could call me a jack of all trades, but since I don't know any conjuration or illusion that probably wouldn't be right."

"You're in luck then! Conjuration is one of my specialties!" Mossanon exclaimed. "I can teach you a bit of it. I'm good with mysticism too, if you're interested."

"Uh..."

"You haven't changed either I see..." Ruby sighed. "Still obsessed with magicka and sharing it with people who aren't even interested."

"Everyone should know at least ONE spell, Ruby." Mossanon said.

"With you it's one of each kind."

"That's the best way to find out what you like! What do you say, Nem? Want me to give you a lesson in conjuration?"

"Well... I suppose it could come in handy." I mumbled.

"Great! I'll meet you on the other side of the river tonight! Right now I have a few things to talk to Schimmel about. See you later." Mossanon said quickly, dashing around the corner to the front of the pub.

"Moss! I'm not done talking to you yet!" Ruby yelled, running after him.

I shrugged and started walking toward the bridge, wondering what I overheard could have meant.

--

My mind was still wandering as I crossed the bridge. I was so deep in thought, I didn't even notice someone was speaking to me until they put their hand on my shoulder to stop me. At that point I jumped, spinning around rather quickly and almost falling over in the process.

A Dunmer with a scar down his right eye laughed at my reaction. "You're lucky I'm not a monster. You should really keep your guard up when walking outside of town."

I looked him over. He was wearing a rather frayed shirt and pants, but didn't seem to be carrying a weapon. "Yeah... I suppose you're right. I was just thinking about something..."

"You'd be better off thinking like that in a safer place. You never know what's around the next bend out here."

"Thanks for the advice... maybe I'll go back to the pub and think instead."

"The pub...?" The Dunmer's expression turned serious. "You mean the one run by the Guild Forlorn?"

"Er... yeah. Why?"

"So that makes you a member. Tell me..." He looked back in the direction of the guild. "...I've heard a rumor that a woman named Trelana is part of that guild. Is it true?"

"Depends... why do you want to know?" I wondered, getting suspicious.

"I'll take that as a yes. Thanks for confirming it."

"I didn't confirm a thing. Now what's your interest in Forlorn? Did you want to join?"

"Not a chance in hell." He said coldly, turning to face me again. "You'd do well to leave Forlorn before it's too late. Nothing but death follows in the wake of that demon."

"What are you talking about...?" I asked, taking a step back.

"Farewell, Nem." He then vanished in a flash.

"Hey... how'd you know my name?!" I demanded as he disappeared. "Who the hell was that?"

I returned to the Blue Flame Pub, more confused than ever. Shortly after I slumped onto a barstool and ordered a drink, the door burst open and Parven's voice boomed through the bar.

"Attention everyone!" He shouted cheerfully. "My intelligence operatives have informed me of another ASP base! I'll be assigning people for a mission there tomorrow, so be prepared and rest up!" He said before running back off to the HQ, letting the door swing shut behind him.

The pub was silent for a few moments after he left, then murmurs began to fill the air. _Another suicide mission I bet._ I thought, taking a swig of Greef. _There's not a moment of peace around here. How's anyone supposed to sit down and think clearly?_ I sighed, chugged the rest of the Greef and headed for the barracks. Too much had happened in one day, and I was hoping sleep would help clear my head.


	40. Forboding Fields

**Chapter 40: Foreboding Fields**

I stared out across the water and sighed. I usually enjoyed being on a boat, but considering how much I've ridden them lately it has gotten a bit tiresome. I glanced over my shoulder at my fellow guild members. Schimmel was nearby, talking with Mossanon. Valen was staring at the sea with a serious expression. Barbarius, Aya and Trelana had gone below deck, and Ruby was pacing.

I turned back to the endless blue and shook my head. We were bound for Vos, a remote town on the eastern edge of Vvardenfell. It was in a northern area of the Grazelands. I had never been there before, but heard it was a great place to gather alchemy ingredients. It had been so long since I even picked up a pestle, I planned to gather as much as I could before we finished our mission.

I began to daydream about how much gold I could make from the potions, when someone poked me in the back of the head.

"If you fall asleep there, you'll fall overboard." Ruby said, walking up beside me.

"I'm not tired... just thinking." I grumbled, rubbing my head.

"What about?"

"How you can have such pointy fingernails. I'm surprised I'm not bleeding after that."

"I file them into points so I can gouge people's eyes out. It's easier than a blinding spell." She joked. "Seriously though, what's on your mind? Did Moss wear you out with his training last night?"

"Not really. He's a better teacher than Razelus, but just as annoying. I did get a new trick out of it though."

"What'd he teach you? A summoning spell?"

"Something like that. I'm new at conjuration, so we started with the basics." I held up my right hand and light began to gather in it. It started to expand, but suddenly popped like a bubble. "Crap. Still need practice... and Bound Dagger is supposed to be the easiest one." I sighed.

"If you can't even master that, it's sad." Ruby laughed.

"What about you? What exactly was that spell you used at the stronghold? That had a lot of power..."

"That was all the staff. It's enchanted with a spell so powerful it can only be used once before it needs to be recharged."

"Geez... where'd you get such a thing?"

"It belonged to my Mother. She was obsessed with enchanting and anything red. I have no idea why though."

"Everyone's obsessed with something, even if they won't admit it."

"Is that so? Then what's your obsession?"

"Mine...?" I hesitated, wondering if I should even bother to tell her. I didn't feel like trying to explain it, so I decided to pick the next best thing. "Books, probably. Maybe alchemy or ships... it's hard to say."

"I see... I'd say mine is-"

"Schimmel."

"Of course not!" She said quickly.

"Not what?" Schimmel asked. He and Mossanon had walked over without Ruby noticing.

"I believe we've missed something important." Mossanon said.

"Oh... it's nothing... we were just..." Ruby stuttered.

"She was just saying she was obsessed with you. No offense, but I'd hate to be in your shoes, Schimmel." I laughed.

"I said nothing of the sort!" Ruby yelled, turning red. If it was from embarrassment or anger I couldn't tell, maybe both.

"Is that so? I know someone who's not going to be happy about that, Ruby." Mossanon said slyly.

"Don't you dare tell him, Moss!"

"All right, but you know me. It might slip out next time I see him." Mossanon grinned.

"You'd better hope it doesn't!" She turned and walked off, heading below deck.

Schimmel was standing there with a vacant expression on his face. "Uh... what exactly was that all about?"

"You're probably better off not knowing." I chuckled.

--

After arriving at Vos, I headed off on my own while the others asked about the base. I took a short walk to the southwest through the Grazelands. A vast, hilly field stretched out before me. It looked fairly peaceful, considering what I had heard about it. Someone at the Mages' Guild told me a long time ago it was almost impossible to cross a hill without having to kill one or two monsters. However, I hadn't seen so much as a scrib during my walk. I shrugged, thinking he had just been exaggerating. I crouched down and began picking the wickwheat that grew wildly here.

By the time I had finished, it was getting dark. I hoisted the bag of ingredients I had collected onto my shoulder and took three steps before it hit me. I was so focused on the wickwheat I hadn't been paying attention to which way I was going. I looked around, wondering which way to go when someone yelled.

"There you are!"

I glanced at where it came from to find a familiar face running down a hill. "Hi, Barbie!"

"If I knew you were going to call me that the second I found you, I wouldn't have bothered looking." Barbarius grumbled, slowing to a stop.

"Sorry, sorry... which way is it back to Vos? I'm a little lost."

"Vos can wait. I had to find you while the others went on ahead. We have to meet them at the base."

"No rest for the weary, huh? Great. Which way is it from here?"

"It's in the mountains to the west. We're not positive where though. Just somewhere on this side of the Red Mountain."

"You know... this is a pattern with these stupid bases." I sighed.

"Not knowing exactly where to find them?"

"That, never having much information about what's inside them, and the fact that we always get separated. Lets try to hurry, we don't want to lose anyone at this one and add to the list of similarities." I said, walking in the direction of the mountain range.

"Yeah..." Barbarius muttered, following after me. "What's in the bag, anyway?"

"Enough moon sugar to kill a silt strider."

"What?!"

"I'm just kidding. It's stuff for health potions." I laughed. "Tell you what, if you carry the bag, I'll give you half a dozen from what I make."

"I dunno... you might end up poisoning me."

"I'm not that bad of an alchemist!"

"Suuuure..."

After convincing Barbarius to carry the bag, with the promise I wouldn't call him Barbie for at least a week, we arrived at the mountain range. Where we went after that got a bit hazy, what with the sandstorm that started up and the countless cliff racers pursuing us. By the time they were all dead we had gotten very lost. There were no landmarks that stood out, and by this time the sun had set, so we couldn't use that to tell which direction was which.

"We could just use the moon." Barbarius suggested.

"Do you see a moon? These mountains are too high..." I said, looking up and down the path we were on.

"If we wait long enough we should be able to see it."

"You're in for a long wait. If I remember correctly, there's a new moon tonight."

"Great... should we just start walking and hope for the best then?"

"It's not like we can do anything else."

--

We moved cautiously along the path, trying to avoid any monsters we happened to see. A few minutes passed before we came across a door built into the side of a mountain. I checked for a name written into the doorframe, but if there was one, it was too dark to read. We listened at the door, it sounded like someone was just on the other side, mumbling to themselves. I stepped back, nocking an arrow and aiming at the door. Barbarius readied his dagger, waited a moment, then kicked open the door and charged inside.

Someone screamed and I dashed in behind Barbarius. A Dunmer was sitting on the ground, staring at Barbarius and looking thoroughly terrified.

"W-what do you w-want from me?" The Dunmer stuttered.

"I think we've got the wrong place, Barbarius. Most peons respond with a sword, not a shriek." I said, lowering my bow.

"You're probably right, Nem." Barbarius sighed. "If this was the base the front guards would probably already be dead. The others had to have found the place by now."

"Lleras! Are you alright?!" A Breton shouted, emerging from deeper inside the cave with another Dunmer.

"Astien, Fothas... I'm fine. These two just scared the crap out of me." The Dunmer named Lleras said, unsteadily getting to his feet.

"Do you two have business in this mine? If not, I suggest you leave." Astien, the Breton, said coldly.

"A mine?" Barbarius wondered.

"Yeah, I'm sure this isn't the place now. It does bring back some fond memories of when we first met though, huh?" I chuckled.

"You've gotta be kidding..."

"I don't mean to interrupt... but why exactly did you try to give me a heart attack?" Lleras inquired.

"We're looking for a group called the ASP. They're supposed to have a base in this area, do you know anything about them?" I asked.

Lleras shook his head. "Never heard of them."

"I have. I think they hole up in a cave north of here. It's called Underift... or something." Astien said.

"Finally a better description of what we're looking for. All right, lets get moving!" I said, hurrying out of the mine.

Barbarius joined me a moment later. "We don't even know which direction north is, shouldn't we have asked?"

"You may not know, but I do. Follow me! We have to hurry and catch up with the others!" I exclaimed, dashing down the path.

"How exactly do you know, when you were clueless earlier?" Barbarius asked, chasing me.

"Because I forgot you can use the stars to tell direction."

"Idiot."

"I didn't hear you offer it as a suggestion!"

We continued down the path until we eventually came across another mountainside door. I checked for a name on the frame again, and saw Undrith etched deeply into the wood. "This must be it." I said, pulling open the door.

A few corpses littered the ground just inside the door. The closest one had a deep, diagonal slash across it's chest. "Must be." Barbarius commented.

Without another word we raced down the tunnel, hoping we weren't too late to help.


	41. The Third Base

**Chapter 41: The Third Base**

As Barbarius and I proceeded deeper into the cave, we were greeted by nothing but blood and corpses. There were quite a few forked tunnels as well, and we found ourselves having to backtrack after running into dead ends at least three times. Eventually we began to hear faint sounds of metal clashing echoing from the depths. We charged forward, passing through what looked like a storage room.

"You two are late." A weak voice said.

I skidded to a halt, looking in the direction the voice came from. An arm was extended from behind one of the barrels, waving at us. I walked over cautiously and found Mossanon resting on the ground, a stab wound in his right shoulder.

"I know..." He chuckled. "It figures the new guy is the first one to go down, huh?"

"Are you okay?" I asked, examining his wound.

"I'll live. You two had better hurry though. I've been listening to the fight and it sounds like they're having a hard time. There was a horrible scream earlier... I'm not sure who it was, but it sounded like a woman."

"A woman...? Not... Trelana?!" I bolted down the tunnel as fast as I could, almost knocking Barbarius over.

--

I ran into a large room where the clash of metal was coming from. Schimmel seemed to be in a sword lock with Rachel, and Ruby was exchanging swings with... "Rodran!" I shouted, quickly creating the most powerful shockball I could manage. "What have you done with Trelana, fetcher?!" I hurled the shockball at him, not even waiting for a reply.

Ruby was barely able to get out of the way before it struck, and Rodran seemed to be dumbfounded by my sudden appearance. It hit him in the chest and he stumbled backwards, dropping his sword. I grabbed the end of my bow and continued straight for him. By the time he regained his senses I had swung my bow like a sword, striking him as hard as I could across the face before he ever saw it coming. My bow snapped in half, and Rodran dropped to the ground like a rock.

"Holy crap, Nem." Ruby muttered.

"Where's...?" I glanced around the room. Trelana was resting on her knees by the wall next to Aya, who was face down on the ground. Valen was slumped against the wall behind them with a nasty head wound. "It must've been Aya that he heard... she's just unconscious, right?" I asked.

"Y... yeah." Trelana stuttered, also obviously surprised by my entrance.

"Good. Now to focus on-"

"Rachel!" Barbarius yelled, finally catching up.

"I wondered when you'd get here. I was getting bored playing around with this guy." Rachel sneered.

"Playing around...? You mean you haven't even been taking this seriously?" Schimmel wondered.

"If I was being serious, you'd be dead already. Now then..." Rachel jumped backwards, then rushed at Schimmel. He dodged just as she thrust her sword at his chest. He tried to counter, but she punched him in the stomach with her free hand, got behind him and bashed him in the back of the head with the hilt of her sword in a flash, knocking him out. She grabbed him as he fell, then threw him against the wall. "He won't be in the way over there." She said, then turned to Barbarius. "Now then, shall I finish what I started in Solstheim?"

"I'm not going to give you the chance." Barbarius said, becoming invisible.

"This little trick again? Don't you ever learn?" Rachel sighed, looking around the ground.

Barbarius' voice echoed in the room. "I learn all right. The rest of you, stay out of this. I'll take care of her myself."

"Being cocky will get you killed!" Rachel yelled, charging at where Barbarius had vanished and swinging straight down. Her sword connected with the ground. "What the...?" She looked around the ground in a slight panic. "There are no new footprints, how could you have moved without..."

Three throwing knives soared across the room at her back. Two impaled her left arm and shoulder, the third nicked her side. "What the hell?!" She cried, turning around and swinging at the air. Her left arm was hanging uselessly at her side, bleeding badly. She tightly gripped the hilt of her katana. "I see now... levitation. You'll be almost impossible to track in the air."

I was about to ask Ruby if she knew how Barbarius suddenly gained levitation magicka, when I heard something behind me. I slowly moved my right hand up my left sleeve, reaching for the hilt of my dagger.

Three more throwing knives shot at Rachel, who somehow managed to dodge them this time.

"There he is..." I heard someone whisper. I spun around and hurled my dagger at Rodran, who had regained consciousness and was aiming a fire spell into the air, presumably at Barbarius. My dagger impaled his right palm, and he screamed in pain.

A second scream came from Rachel's direction. Rodran's cry had distracted her just as Barbarius unleashed another hail of knives. She now had three piercing her right arm as well. Her sword dropped to the ground with a clatter. "Damn you..."

Barbarius reappeared, dropping to the ground in front of Rachel. "You chased me out of my home, killed some of my friends, tried to kill me, and even turned your sword on your own allies." Barbarius said coldly, picking up Rachel's katana. "The only one that deserves to be damned... is you!" He thrust her sword through her right shoulder.

A deafening scream filled the room, and Rachel dropped to her knees. Barbarius gripped the hilt of the sword still jammed into her shoulder, glaring down at her. "Maybe I should just take your arm off so you can't use it to kill anyone else."

"That's enough!" Someone shouted, and Barbarius was suddenly skidding across the ground away from Rachel. Aya was standing where Barbarius had been, hunched over and out of breath. "Stop... now."

"Aya...? What the hell!?" Barbarius yelled in a daze.

"I'm not fond of killing people, but sometimes it has to be done. However... torture is something that only truly evil people do. You're better than that, Barbarius." Aya said breathlessly, dropping to her knees.

"Aya, I... hold it!"

Rachel had taken advantage of the interruption to make a run for a tunnel deeper into the cave. Barbarius quickly chased after her. Ruby went to follow him as well, but once Barbarius entered the tunnel there was an explosion on the wall above it, knocking her backwards. The wall crumbled, sealing the entrance.

Rodran laughed. "There's another one taken care of... half the list is done. That should be more than enough for today." He muttered, quickly using a recall spell.

"Half the list? What did he mean?" I wondered.

"Worry about it later, we have to help Barbarius!" Aya said, limping over to the rubble blocking the tunnel and starting to dig.

--

It took a while to dig through, and once we did we didn't find much. There were a few small rooms, and another collapsed tunnel further down. The blood trail left by Rachel ended at it, meaning it must have been downed after she and Barbarius had gone through like before. The others started to dig their way though it as well, but I headed back to the rooms we had passed.

There was a bedroom, a small armory, and a room with a table at the far end with a few books and pieces of paper set on it. I walked over to the table and picked up one of the books, it had nothing on the cover. Inside it, there was page after page of random letters. It must have been written in a code, but since there were no spaces I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

I slipped the coded book into my robe and picked up another one. The cover was blank on this one as well. I flipped it open, expecting more coded text and couldn't believe my eyes. It listed members of Forlorn, giving brief descriptions for each person. I turned through the pages until I came across my own.

"Name, Race, Weapons, Confirmed Spells... they certainly didn't leave much out." I commented as I read through it. That's when I noticed an odd symbol in the top right corner of the page. I flipped to the next page, where I found Valen's profile. The top right of his page was blank. I turned to Razelus' page and found the symbol again. I searched the book for the meaning of it, but didn't find one.

I set the book down and shuffled through the few papers on the table. I found one with the symbol marked on the top center of it, with "ASP's 10 Most Wanted" written underneath it. Four of the names were crossed out. Assuni, Robert, Razelus and Bryenn. I had never heard of Robert, and I vaguely remembered Assuni... but Bryenn's name stood out to me. Did that mean the operation at Hlormaren was run by ASP, or did they just know about it? And if they only just knew, how could they get the information so quickly? It hadn't been that long since it happened.

I looked at the other names on the list. Ruby, Schimmel, Nem, Barbarius, Aya and Trelana. That's when I remembered what Rodran had said. "Half the list..."


	42. The Calm

**Chapter 42: The Calm**

I stared down at the list of names, dropping it when I heard a laugh behind me. I turned to see Rodran standing at the entrance, a bloody sword in his right hand and something round in his left. "You might as well cross another name off that list." He sneered, tossing me the round object. I caught it, but quickly dropped it after seeing what it was.

I took a step backwards in shock. "B-Barbarius... that's not possible... Rodran, you sick son of a-"

A piercing scream echoed from down the tunnel. I dashed out of the room, and Rodran did nothing to stop me. I continued down the tunnel until I came to where the others had been digging through. Ruby, Trelana, Schimmel, Aya, Valen, and Mossanon... all of them were on the ground. At least, their heads were.

A sickening laugh echoed down the tunnel, and Rodran's voice soon followed. "Looks like there's only one left now, but I hate leaving things unfinished. I'll be sure to tell Jiub we need a new list." I turned around just as a glint of metal rushed toward my face.

--

I bolted upright, heard a crack and felt a throbbing pain in my head. I cursed loudly, but was only answered by snores. Luckily everyone else was still sound asleep. I rubbed my forehead where it had struck the underside of the top bunk, and glanced around the guild barracks. Valen was asleep on the next bed over, Schimmel's arm hanging over the bunk above him.

I slowly got up, walking toward the door and checking beds as I went. Mossanon had been on the bunk above me, I was lucky he was a heavy sleeper. Ruby was in the far corner, and Trelana was a couple bunks down from her. Aya was, for some odd reason, sleeping with her feet at the head of her bunk. There were a couple other members as well, but I didn't recognize them.

I headed out the door, closing it softly behind me. "Damn nightmares." I grumbled, walking down the hall to the storage room.

I reminded myself of what really happened at the base, trying to shake the dream out of my head. I collected the books and notes that were on the table, then went back to see what progress the others had made. They had gotten through the rubble, but there was a door leading outside beyond it. Neither Barbarius or Rachel were anywhere to be found. We did, however, find Barbarius' amulet on the ground not far outside the door, and it was stained with blood.

"We searched as long as we could, but there was no trail to follow. I never found his severed head... it was just a nightmare... but... it could have been..." My mind drifted as I opened the door to the storage room, walking straight to my chest without even having to think about it. I removed a key from my pocket, unlocking a chest with the number thirteen etched into it. I took the bag of wickwheat, and other plants I had collected at the Grazelands, from it. I also took out my alchemy tools, tossing them rather carelessly into the bag as well. I hoisted the bag onto my shoulder, locked the chest, and headed out the door.

--

It was dark out, still an hour or so until sunrise. I glanced at the tavern, sighing. It didn't open until shortly after dawn. I continued down the road to the bridge, but stopped when I noticed someone on it, staring out across the water. I almost turned back when I saw who it was, but he spotted me before I could turn around.

"Good morning, Nem." He said brightly, grinning stupidly.

I sighed, starting across the bridge. "Hello, Parven."

"Thank you for bringing back those coded books. I have a feeling they could help end this war with the ASP once and for all."

"Shouldn't you be decoding them then?"

"I left that up to Ray. He's quite good with things like that."

"If you say so... see you later." I said, hurrying down the road.

"Farewell."

"Lazy fetcher." I muttered when he was out of earshot. It didn't seem to me like he did any work at all. He seemed to have other people take care of everything. Maybe he assigned the missions, but that required almost no effort. Either being a Guildmaster was an easy job, or he was just bone idle. My guess was the latter.

--

I found a nice, quiet spot along the river and set up my equipment. I took my time making potions, mainly because it had been a long time since I had tried and didn't want to accidentally mix the wrong things and waste anything... or accidentally blow myself up. Not to mention I wasn't sure I had brought along enough empty bottles. By the time I had finished, it was well past dawn. I packed up what I had made and made my way back to the guild.

When I arrived at the bridge, I once again found someone wandering around it. When they noticed me, they came rushing over. "There you are! I've been looking for you!"

I adjusted the bag of potions hanging over my shoulder. "Before you ask, Moss. No."

Mossanon looked at me with a clueless expression. "No?"

"No, I haven't been practicing Conjuration like you suggested. No offense, but I don't think it's my thing." I said, walking by him.

"I'll bother you about that later, right now I was just told to get you." He said, following after me.

"Get me for what?"

"Master Parven has requested some of us join him in the tavern. You're one of them."

"Just my luck. He's probably gathering a team to go on another suicide mission." I grumbled.

"I honestly don't know. He didn't give any details."

"All right... you go on ahead. Tell the 'Master' I'll be there in a couple minutes. I have to put this away first."

"Okay."

I watched as Mossanon hurried to the tavern, shaking my head. "These meetings are always a bad sign."

--

I stopped by the storage room, stuffing my potions and alchemy tools back into chest thirteen before heading to the tavern. The door creaked open and Parven's voice was the first I heard. "Nem! Finally, everyone's here!"

I glanced around the room, wondering just who "everyone" was. The Argonian was behind the bar as usual, Mossanon, Valen and two female guild members I had never met before were sitting on barstools. Parven was standing on the small stage in the far corner. At the table closest to him were Ray and Carol. They were both staring down at an open book. Schimmel, Trelana, Aya and Ruby were gathered at a table near the door. I took a seat at the open chair between Schimmel and Aya.

"Now that everyone's here, would you mind telling us what's so important? I haven't slept in almost twenty hours and I feel like I'm about to pass out." One of the women at the bar, an Imperial with long, brown hair that hung low enough to obscure the seat of her barstool, said with a yawn.

"One last thing to take care of first, Emily." Parven replied, raising his right hand. A purple light shot from a ring on his finger, striking the tavern door. The door clicked softly as it locked.

The other woman at the bar, this one a Redguard with sleek black hair, stared at the door for a moment. "What exactly was the point of that? Are your speeches so boring that people have run out of the room screaming?" She asked sarcastically.

"No, but I'm sure people have thought about doing that before, Cassandra." Parven said with a laugh. "I simply do not want to be interrupted by someone who has nothing to do with this. Apart from our bartender friend here," He gestured to the Argonian. "and myself of course, there is an important matter that must be sorted out."

"An important matter? I figured you were gathering people for another suicide mission already." Ruby muttered coldly.

"That's what I was expecting too." I said.

"No, no... the suicide missions can wait until I've sorted this little problem out." Parven grinned. "Now to the point. Thanks to Raymond's skill with decoding messages, I have discovered a few of the ASP's secrets. One of them was a bit... unsettling. I thought I would have realized something like this long before now, since most of you are all fairly old members. I suppose it just means I'm not perfect, as much as I hate to admit it. "

_This idiot must like hearing himself talk... just get to the point already._ I thought, tapping my fingers on the table impatiently.

"You see, according to the information in that book, and my deductive reasoning, one of the people in this room... is an ASP spy."


	43. Turning Traitor

**Chapter 43: Turning Traitor**

The tavern went silent. Everyone looked around the room at each other, each looking as confused as the last. If one of them was a spy, they were doing a good job of hiding it.

Cassandra was the first to speak. "A spy...? You can't be serious."

"I'm quite serious." Parven said, still grinning stupidly as he always did. "Raymond is still searching for more clues, but I was hoping whoever it was would kindly speak up and save him the trouble."

Nobody said anything for a few moments, until Emily yawned. "As if someone would admit to that." She mumbled, resting her head on the bar.

"Why do you suspect me? Because of those fetchers my brother Razelus has gone missing!" Valen snapped.

"Hmm... I suppose. It could have been a set-up so I wouldn't suspect you though. I have to consider everything, you know." Parven said calmly.

"You said the bartender wasn't a suspect... but never said that Ray wasn't. If he's a suspect, how can you trust him to decode it properly?" Valen asked, still clearly irritated.

"That's his idea. When I told him that Carol was a suspect, he wouldn't hear of it. When I wouldn't take it back, despite him vouching for her, he insisted I make him a suspect as well."

"What about everyone else?"

"Yeah, why do you suspect the rest of us?" Mossanon asked.

"Well, you're close to the newest member, and I know very little about you." Parven said.

"Makes sense."

"As for the rest of you... the reasons vary. Cassandra, one of the teams raiding an ASP base found you locked up in it. A fake prisoner would be an excellent way to infiltrate the guild."

"I also swore my allegiance to you after being rescued, and have killed dozens of ASP peons since then. You must be stupid if you think it's me." Cassandra said coldly.

"Let's go through everyone before we start this. Now, Emily..." He looked at the Imperial as the end of the bar, whose head was still laying on the counter. She gave no response. "Emily?" Parven repeated. He was answered by a snore. "Well... if she is the spy, she's very relaxed considering the circumstances." He laughed.

"Should I wake her up?" Mossanon asked, since he was sitting next to her.

"No, let her rest for now. I'll get back to her."

Parven turned to the table I was sitting at. "How about you five? Maybe... Schimmel?"

"One of your agents found me fighting monsters near Pelagiad, in case you forgot. It was his idea to ask me to join. I hadn't heard of Forlorn or the ASP before then. Hell, I didn't know much of anything beyond Pelagiad before that day." Schimmel said, leaning on the table. "I saw it as an opportunity to finally get away from there and start adventuring like I had wanted to for a long time, so I took it."

"Yes... I suppose it is unlikely the ASP could set that up, now that I think about it. Still, there's always a chance. How about you, Trelana? You basically came out of nowhere and joined."

"That's rude... I didn't come out of nowhere. Schimmel and Nem told me about Forlorn when you sent them after that stupid staff." Trelana said, gesturing in my and Schimmel's direction. "I originally came to Suran to visit them, but they were gone when I arrived and I didn't have the money to stay anywhere. I only joined Forlorn that day for a place to sleep. I guess I just got too comfortable here, since most of the members were nice, and never got around to leaving..."

"Even I think that's a weak story." I mumbled.

"Some friend you are! How did you end up stuck here then?"

"I met Parven in the House of Earthly Delights."

"_What_ exactly were you doing in a place like that?" Trelana inquired, giving me an annoyed glare.

"Don't look at me like that... I thought it was a shop for herbal tea, or a place to get alchemy ingredients. The last thing I expected was something like... that. After the first time, I only went there for the Greef. Anyway... Parven, you're the one that asked me to join in the first place. Now you think I'm a traitor? Fine, think whatever the hell you want. I know I'm no ASP spy, and if you have half a brain in that thick head of yours, you'll figure it out too." I said coldly. Being called a liar always seemed to tick me off, and this was close enough to warrant the same reaction.

"Yes, I did ask you that... but normally people would think it over. You said yes without a second thought, I always thought that was a bit unusual." Parven said.

"Well, at the time, it was a dream come true. The day before I had a major fight with Edwinna, and she had been annoying me constantly before that. I originally only stopped by Suran during a mission for the Mages' Guild. I had been considering leaving it, but didn't have any alternatives until you made that offer... so I jumped at the chance without thinking." I explained.

"I see... and you, Ruby? Why exactly did you join Forlorn?"

"You know damn well why, you hired me." Ruby said shortly.

"Yes, but I wondered why you were the only one that offered. There were plenty of others."

"You asked for someone like me, what do you expect? The Thieves' Guild was getting boring anyway. I'm an assassin, taking things instead of lives gets old quickly in my opinion. If I was working for the ASP, I'd be here for blood, not information."

_Geez... I thought she was scary before, but hearing her talk like that makes me even more glad she isn't an enemy. _I thought, shifting in my seat.

"I suppose that's true. Now then, that just leaves you, Aya. In all honesty, I'm probably most suspicious of you." Parven said.

"Huh? Why me?" Aya wondered.

"According to the report I got about the Mournhold mission, you attacked four Forlorn members, knew exactly where the base was located, even spoke with Jiub himself once. You seem to have the most connection with the ASP."

"You're crazy. The attack was a misunderstanding, I knew where the base was because I had lived down there for half my life, and I happened to bump into Jiub when I was on my way up to the city. I didn't even know who he was at the time." Aya said crossly.

"What about your actions on the last mission?"

"My actions...?"

"You struck Barbarius, preventing him from killing Rachel. She is the Second, her death would have greatly crippled the ASP!"

_The Second...?_ I scratched my head, wondering why it sounded familiar.

"What Barbarius was doing was wrong... I couldn't stand seeing something like that happen again! Barbarius is not that cruel! He wasn't acting like himself at all..."

Parven opened his mouth to reply, but Ray's voice cut him off. "I found another clue, whoever wrote this made one hell of a mistake."

"What?" Parven inquired.

"Up until now, the spy was always referred to as just that... but they mess up here. It refers to the spy as 'she' instead."

"It's a woman, is it?" Parven immediately glanced at Aya. "All right... Moss, Valen, Nem, Schimmel... you're free to leave if you wish." He said, unlocking the door.

I quickly got up and left, followed by Valen and Schimmel. Mossanon stayed behind. The door clicked locked again behind us.

--

I headed back to the storage room and began sorting through potions. I didn't think much about what was happening at the tavern, since it didn't seem possible that Aya, Trelana or Ruby would be working for the ASP. We would have noticed something before now if they had. At least, that's what I told myself.

After figuring out what I was going to keep and give away, I stowed most of the potions back in the chest. I put what I was going to sell in a bag and headed out the door, hoping I could find somewhere to sell them in Suran.

An hour and three stops later, I was down two dozen potions. Most of what I earned from the potions was already spent. It was a bit irritating having to buy another new bow, but at least my last one died for a good cause. Given the chance, I'd probably do the same with this one. I had to get a new dagger as well, since Rodran vanished with my old one still impaled in his right hand. I also picked up a dozen throwing knives, I never understood how anyone could be accurate with such a weapon until then.

--

I was on my way out of town when I noticed Schimmel laying on one of the city walls, staring up at the sky. "Don't fall asleep up there. You'll get a sunburn on a day like this." I advised him as I passed by.

"Who do you think it is?" He asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"This spy Parven's on about." He sat up, a confused expression on his face. "I had an idea of who he meant, until Ray said it was a woman."

"Who did you think it was before that?" I wondered.

"Well, I kinda thought he meant-"

Schimmel was cut off as Mossanon came running over, yelling that Parven figured out who the spy was and that she had been put in one of the guild cells for now.

"The guild has a prison? I didn't know that." I said, wondering if any other rooms had been added. It had been a long time since I looked around it.

"Who was it?" Schimmel asked.

"Cassandra or that other one... Emily, right?" I guessed. "I suppose there's a slim chance it could have been Carol, but it seems unlikely."

Mossanon shook his head. "It may sound cold, but I wish it had been one of them..."

"You're kidding...don't tell me that fetcher locked Aya up!"

"There was another piece of information recovered by Ray that discounted Aya from the list of suspects, along with everyone else in the room... except one person." Mossanon said grimly.

"You've scratched everyone off the list of people in that room except for Ruby and Trelana... don't tell me he thinks it was..." Schimmel couldn't finish his sentence.

"According to the information, the only person it could have been... is Trelana."


	44. Journal's End

**Chapter 44: Journal's End**

"You've gotta be kidding me!" I exclaimed. "Trelana working for the ASP?! That's just idiotic!"

"That's what I thought. It's true I don't know her very well, but she didn't seem like one of their sort." Mossanon said, shaking his head.

"You would know. Something's not right." Schimmel said seriously, hopping off the wall. "Where's Ruby?"

Mossanon shrugged. "She went off on her own after Parven and Cassandra took Trelana to the guild. I'm not sure where she is now."

"Ruby's not the one in trouble. Where's the jail? I need to talk with Trelana." I said, heading toward the guild's entrance.

The three of us searched the guild until we found a staircase leading down. At the bottom was a long room with a small table and chair in the center. A few cabinets lined the walls, and a large chest was in the far right corner. Cassandra was sitting at the table, reading a book. She looked up when we entered.

"What do you want?" She inquired.

"I want to talk with Trelana." I said.

"Too bad." Cassandra returned to her book. "Master Parven said not to let anyone see her right now. Try taking it up with him."

"Damn it." I grumbled, turning to go back up the staircase. I was in no mood to talk to Parven, but had no desire to fight with Cassandra. She struck me as someone who followed orders to the letter, utterly immune to persuasion. I hated that kind of person.

We went to Parven's office, but it was empty. Ray was around, and informed me that the Guildmaster had left on an errand somewhere. I cursed, punching the wall. I knew there was no way to see Trelana right now. I'd either have to wait, or be sneaky about it. I chose the latter. I headed to the barracks and forced myself to go to sleep for a while, even though it was far from easy.

--

When I awoke, the barracks were close to filled. I cautiously got up and headed out the door. I made a stop at the storage room, opening my chest and removing a small folded cloth that was tucked into the corner. I opened the cloth, taking the small amulet that was hidden in it and placing it around my neck. It was Barbarius' amulet. When we first found it, Trelana was the one hanging onto it, but I convinced her to let me take care of it so it wouldn't get mixed in with her bag of trinkets.

I went to leave, still staring down at the amulet, when the door suddenly swung open and hit me in the head. I stumbled backwards a bit, wondering who else would be up this late.

Schimmel was standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry. You couldn't sleep either?"

"Something like that." I said simply, walking by Schimmel.

"If you're going to try seeing Trelana again, don't bother. I tried about an hour ago and Cassandra still wouldn't listen to reason." He sighed.

"Good thing I don't plan to use reason." I said without thinking.

"What are you planning?"

"Forget about it. I'd rather not get you caught up in this mess as well." I hurried down the hall toward the stairs to the prison. I crept down, hoping Schimmel wasn't following me, and peered around the corner into the long room that was between me and the cells.

I had planned on using Barbarius' amulet to slip in and knock out the guard, but it didn't seem necessary after I saw what was in the room. I walked around the corner, surveying the room. The table was upturned, the chair was broken, one of the cabinets was toppled over with its' contents spilling on the floor, and the door to the cells was wide open. There were spots of blood here and there on the ground, but not enough to indicate a fatal wound was dealt to anyone.

I jumped at Schimmel's voice. "Holy crap... isn't this overkill, Nem?"

"Are you stupid? I didn't have enough time to do this kind of damage." I said, a bit annoyed. I should have known he'd follow me after I saw him. He may have been smarter than he let on, but common sense was clearly something he lacked.

"Where's Cassandra? She should have been in here."

"She'd just get in the way. Lets find Trelana for now." I said, dashing into the next room. There were five jail cells, two on each side and one straight ahead. The second one on the right was open. I hurried over to it, looked inside, and couldn't believe my eyes.

Aya was standing in the cell, her right hand extended down as if to help someone up, but nobody else was there.

"Aya...? What are you doing here?" I asked. She didn't answer. She didn't even move.

Schimmel tapped her on the shoulder. "Are you okay?" She remained motionless.

I began to wonder if I was having another odd dream, then I noticed a ring placed on Aya's right index finger. "Now I know that stance..." I said, kneeling down to Aya's hand. "The same thing happened to me once."

"It did? When?"

"Trelana tricked me into trying it on once as a joke. It paralyzes the wearer until it's removed." I slipped the ring off Aya's finger and she almost fell over.

"Ohh... that was horrible. Thanks for the help, Nem. I thought I'd be stuck here until morning." Aya said, stretching.

"What were you doing here, and why did Trelana use this on you?" I asked.

"I came here with Ruby. Busting Trelana out was her idea. She didn't want me to come along in the first place though, she said it would be too risky. I insisted though." Aya explained.

"Sounds familiar..." I glanced at Schimmel.

"I knocked out Cassandra, throwing her in one of the other cells. When I went to help Trelana, she hesitated... then jammed the ring on my finger saying she was sorry, and it was for my own good. Then she left with Ruby..."

"What the hell is going on?" I wondered aloud. "How long ago was that?"

"I'm not sure... it wasn't too long though. Maybe, ten minutes or so?"

"She can't have gotten too far then. Come on!" I dashed toward the staircase, hoping they hadn't gotten too far.

--

We left the guild, wondering which way they would have gone. They would have been seen if they went through town. It may have been late, but there were still guards wandering around. I ran toward the bridge, trying to figure out where I would go if I were them. _"Probably the least traveled road but which one-"_ Aya's voice interrupted my train of thought.

"Hey! What's that?" She was standing almost halfway across the bridge, pointing at something to the north on the Nabia River. There was a dark outline of something in the distance, most likely a boat.

"That could be them." Schimmel muttered.

I leapt off the bridge, casting my water walking spell. I landed on top of the water, almost falling over as I did, since it felt like shifting rock beneath my feet. I charged down the river, not waiting for Schimmel and Aya. I only heard one splash behind me, but didn't look back to see who it was.

I chased after the boat, but couldn't seem to keep up. I lost sight of it until I arrived at where the river met Lake Nabia. The boat was just on the western shore, along with four people. I hurried over as they began walking away, calling out for them to stop. As my foot finally hit solid ground again, I heard Trelana's voice.

"Nem?! What are you doing here?!"

"I went to break you out of jail, but Ruby beat me to it." I panted, exhausted from the run. Ruby was standing next to her, but the other two were wearing hoods and I couldn't see their faces.

"You really shouldn't have followed us. I was hoping to get out of there with minimal interference. Aya was bad enough." Ruby sighed.

"Well excuse me!" Aya yelled, running up. She must have ran along the river, since there wasn't a drop of water on her. How she managed doing that I'll never know, since a steep mountain range followed both sides of the river. "I wanted to help Trelana as much as you and the others. Speaking of which, why did you use that ring on me, Trelana?"

"I told you... it was for your own good. I didn't want anyone to get hurt." Trelana said.

The water behind me splashed as Schimmel hoisted himself out of it. "We made it this far and nobody got hurt... except maybe the jail guard." He said, trying to shake some of the water out of his clothes. "I don't see what you were so worried about."

"Schimmel..." Ruby muttered.

"Don't you get it?" One of the hooded figures said, walking forward. "If you hadn't shown up, there would be no need for more violence."

"Who are you, and what are you talking about? We're not here to fight anyone." Aya said.

"I know that voice..." I muttered.

"I should hope so, it hasn't been that long since we encountered one another." He laughed, pulling down his hood. "How have you been?"

"Ganus... I didn't expect to see you again."

"Really? I knew I'd see you again. I was also hoping to meet Schimmel there, since he wasn't around last time." Ganus said with a grin.

"Me? Why?" Schimmel asked.

"Save it, Ganus. We're expected elsewhere." The other hooded man said. His voice was familiar as well.

"Well what do you suggest we do, Chris? This little problem is keeping us here." Ganus complained, pointing in my, Aya and Schimmel's direction.

"Chris... Chris Mortifer?!" I exclaimed.

"None other." He said, pulling down his hood as well.

"Wait... Trelana, does this mean you really are the..." Aya couldn't seem to finish her sentence. I don't blame her, I wouldn't have been able to either.

"Trelana's no spy!" Ruby snapped. "I really didn't want you guys to find out this way... especially not you, Schimmel... but the spy... was me."

"W...what?" Schimmel muttered, clearly in shock.

"There's no going back now." Mortifer said. "We'd better hurry before someone else shows up or Jiub gets worried. Ganus, can you take care of things here long enough for us to get away?"

"You bet. I'll show you making me the Seventh was no mistake." Ganus said, unsheathing his sword.

"Wait... Ruby..." Schimmel stuttered.

"There's no time to explain, Schimmel. Just know I really am sorry..." Ruby said, before running off.

"I'm sorry too, Schimmel... Nem... Aya..." Trelana mumbled, following Ruby.

"Remember your duties, Ganus." Mortifer called back as he hurried after Ruby and Trelana.

"I know all about my duties... he worries too much. I've been looking forward to this, Schimmel." Ganus aimed his sword at Schimmel, who didn't react.

"Get out of the way!" Aya yelled, rushing Ganus.

He leapt into the air just as she swung at him. He raised about ten feet above her head before dropping back down behind her. "I see you'll be a problem." There was a bright flash and Aya dropped to the ground. Ganus walked back to face Schimmel, ignoring me.

I hurried over to Aya. There was no visible wound, but she was unconscious, and I couldn't seem to wake her.

"We may not have met before today, but you are my sworn rival. Prepare to defend yourself!" Ganus shouted, dashing at Schimmel, who was still standing there with an odd expression on his face. He didn't move as Ganus swung directly at his throat. His sword stopped barely an inch from Schimmel's neck. At first I thought Schimmel had blocked it, but Ganus stopped of his own accord.

"Damn it. You're clearly not in the right state of mind for this." Ganus sighed, lowering his sword and raising his left hand to Schimmel's face. "Not that I can blame you. We'll settle this next time." There was another flash and Schimmel passed out just as Aya had. Then he turned to me.

"Ganus... just what the hell is going on?" I asked, standing up.

"I'm sure you have a ton of questions." Ganus grinned, sheathing his sword. "I'm not really the one who can give you answers though. You'll meet the person that can eventually, if you can live that long." There was a blinding flash, and I fell over, blacking out before I even hit the ground.

--

When I awoke, it was morning. I roused Aya and Schimmel, who were still unconscious, and we all headed back to Suran. Schimmel was still in shock, and wandered off toward the tavern shortly after we got back. Aya and I continued to the guild, bumping into Parven on the way. He excitedly told us that he had discovered the location of the ASP headquarters while reading through one of the coded books with Ray, and was planning a raid on them in three days. He obviously hadn't been down to check on Trelana yet, but I didn't feel the need to tell him anything, so I continued by him into the guild while Aya began telling him what happened.

I went to the barracks, which were empty apart from Valen, who was asleep on the bottom right bunk next to the door. I ignored him, walking to the far right corner and sitting down. I didn't know what to think, it was all happening too quickly for me. If the ASP base was our next, and final, destination, I would probably find my answers there. Of course when I thought about how difficult the previous bases were, I couldn't begin to comprehend how well defended the HQ would be.

I expect we will encounter an immense force, and there would be few, if any, survivors on either side. I doubt one of the few will be myself, it was a miracle I lasted this long. I only hope I can find my answers before that happens... and maybe take Rodran down with me. Regardless of what happens, this will be my final entry in this journal.

(The following pages are blank.)


	45. Beyond the Pages

**Chapter 45: Beyond The Pages**

"What a way to end it..." Aya muttered, reading over Schimmel's shoulder.

"Almost every book in Morrowind I've read has a similar ending." Mossanon, who was sitting on Schimmel's other side, pointed out. "It's as if happy endings never happen here."

"I still don't think we should have read this, Val." Schimmel mumbled.

"Says the guy holding the book." Valen smirked as he laid in the bunk next to the one the group was sitting on.

"You're the one that knocked out Cassie, Aya? Wow, better not let her find out. She can't stand being taken off guard." Emily, who was sitting in bunk above them, laughed.

"She was asleep... all I did was make sure she was out cold." Aya said.

"By kicking her in the head."

"It was all I could think of. Besides, she was acting like a jerk when I went to visit Trelana the first time and said something that really ticked me off. I guess I was still mad about that."

"What did she say?" Schimmel wondered.

Before Aya could reply, the door to the barracks creaked open. Cassandra walked in, shaking her head. "Fine, don't believe me. It's the truth though."

Nem followed shortly after her. "I still think you're mistaken. That book was about... huh?" He noticed the group gathered in the far right corner of the room. "I think we weren't invited to something, Cass."

The group of five stared at Nem. All but one were donning slightly guilty expressions, Valen was just grinning.

"Looks like a book club or something." Cassandra said, spotting the book in Schimmel's hands.

"Really? I hope it's not anything too stupid." Nem chuckled, walking over and glancing down at it. He recognized the handwriting instantly. "What the hell?!" He snatched the book from Schimmel's hands and clubbed him once over the head with it, along with Mossanon and Emily. Aya ducked and dashed over the bunk Valen was on, stepping on his stomach as she went, to avoid being hit as well.

"Now calm down, Nem." Aya said, backing toward the door. "Valen's the one who saw you writing in it the other day and told us about it."

"You were the first one to open it and start reading." Valen coughed, clutching his stomach.

"Valen you-"

"Cassandra." Nem interrupted. "Aya's the one that knocked you out while you were guarding Trelana."

"WHAT?!" Cassandra snapped.

"You jerk, Nem!" Aya yelled, before running out the door with Cassandra in hot pursuit.

Nem flipped open the book. He had slipped his finger between the pages they had been reading before attacking them with it, so he would know just how much they had read. He stared at the last page for a moment, then glared at the group. "So much for privacy." He grumbled, tossing the book back to Schimmel and leaving.

After a moment, Emily spoke. "Whew... I thought he was gonna kill us."

"Maybe the old Nem would have. Be thankful he's changed a bit." Mossanon chuckled.

"No kidding." Valen muttered.

--

"Can you believe that? My own so-called friends." Nem grumbled, taking another swig of Greef. He had just finished telling the Argonian bartender what he walked in on, who simply shook his head in silence after hearing the story. "At least it only contained what happened _after _I joined Forlorn. My year on Vvardenfell before that was bad enough without them knowing about it. Not to mention what happened before even that. Too much bad luck smashed into so little time. Atronach or not, I must be cursed in some way." Nem sighed.

"You idiot! That would be suicide!" Ray shouted, slamming his fists on the table. Nem turned to see what was happening, startled at the sudden outburst. "This route would be safer, and we would make it in unseen!" Ray pointed to a large sheet of paper on the table in front of him. It was a large map of a rocky terrain. Nem recognized it as a very detailed map of the Red Mountain.

"We still don't have detailed information about all of the patrols, there could be troops on that path." Parven said calmly. "Besides, your choice would take us the long way around."

"I agree with Ray." Carol said. "There would probably be little to no resistance if we take the route he suggests. However, I would rather not spend more time in the open than we have to... Parven's choice would get us inside quickly."

"Maybe strolling in their front door is okay for someone with a death wish," Ray shot a glance at Parven. "but I prefer the less insane methods. Infiltration is our best option! I say we use this path." He pointed to the path he had indicated earlier.

"Storming their base head on would be unexpected. We could take them by surprise that way just as well as your choice." Parven said, gesturing to a different point on the map.

"I don't know... both ways have advantages and disadvantages... there is always the third entrance to consider as well." Carol tapped the map gently near where Parven had chosen.

"That way may not have as much manpower as the front gate, but it's on a cliff... that gives it enough natural protection they don't have to station more than a few bowyers by it for adequate defense." Ray leaned back in his chair, unconsciously tapping his foot in annoyance. "I used to do this stuff for the Imperial Legion, I know what I'm talking about."

Parven looked at him in surprise. "You worked for the Imperial Legion? That would explain a few things... like your knowledge of decoding and tactics... but-"

Carol quickly interrupted him. "Who cares how he knows. What we need is a plan. We're supposed to leave tomorrow!"

"Ah, yes. We must focus." Parven said, turning back to the map.

"There's always plan R." Nem said simply, walking up to the end of the table.

"Plan... R?" Ray wondered.

"How many Forlorn members do we have to work with?" Nem asked, ignoring Ray.

"There are about twenty in town... more will arrive tomorrow... the rest are planning to meet up with us at Ghostgate, which is..." Parven trailed off, trying to count them up in his head. "...I'd say roughly one hundred in all."

Ray and Carol looked a bit shocked at his answer. Nem was too, unable to understand how there could be that many members when the guild buildings probably wouldn't even handle twenty-five without problems.

Parven seemed to misinterpret their surprise. "Yes, yes... I'm aware it's a rather small force, but it's what we have to work with."

Nem chuckled. "Well then, we'll have to do what we can with it. I can't help wondering why Ray didn't think of this since he's apparently the resident tactician. You see, going by plan R, we would need to split into three groups." Ray flinched at the thought of splitting up, but Nem didn't notice. "The main force attacks the front gate first, shortly after that a side force attacks the cliffside entrance. The battle should draw away any patrols and allow a small group of say, ten people, to sneak in the back."

"That may work... but what will the small team do once it's inside?" Parven asked.

Nem hesitated. "I... haven't figured that out yet." He mumbled, scratching his head.

"I'm sure Ray can figure something out." Carol said, smiling at him. "Right?"

Ray quickly turned his gaze to the floor. "Carol... you know that I..." He began.

"Yes, I know you'll think of something." She encouraged him. "You're good at this sort of thing."

He stared at her for a moment, then nodded and looked down at the map. "Well." He began. "I do have one idea."

--

Valen grumbled, rolling over on the uncomfortable bedroll laid out in the corner of the cell. How was he supposed to sleep when less than an inch of slightly itchy cloth was the only thing keeping him from laying directly on the cold stone floor. He shifted again, punching his pillow and lifting the blanket over his head.

Aya was in the cell across from him, snoring loudly. How she could sleep so soundly in a place like this was beyond him. He began to wonder if the main reason he didn't like it was because he spent so much time in jail when he was younger. Being in a cell again just brought back unpleasant memories. Valen turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling, yawning. He was about to close his eyes again when he heard footsteps approaching.

He glanced up at a man in a dark blue robe, his face hidden by shadows. The man simply shook his head and sighed. "Honestly Val, can't you keep yourself out of trouble for a week? You make a pretty crappy role-model, brother. Get the hell up."

Valen bolted upright at the voice. "Razelus?!"


	46. Darkening Horizon

**Chapter 46: Darkening Horizon**

Valen's head struck Nem's chin as he sat up. Nem fell over backwards, groaning. "Damn it, Valen. I said get the hell up, not break my jaw with your thick head! Damn..."

Valen stared vacantly at him, not really sure what had happened. "What... what are you doing here? Where's Razelus?"

"How the hell would I know where your brother is?" Nem said crossly, standing up. "We're departing soon, so I came to wake you and Aya up so you could get something to eat before then. With any luck, before this day is over, we'll know what happened to Raz and the rest of our friends." He said, walking out of the cell and into the one across from it where Aya was still sleeping. He was going to comment on how he thought it was next to impossible that any of them could still be alive, but thought better of it.

Valen rubbed his head, finally starting to wake up and realize how much it hurt. "I guess it was a dream." He sighed. "Come to think of it... that's what he said before. When I was still..." A crash interrupted his thoughts.

Nem was slumped on the floor of Aya's cell, groaning again. Aya was sitting upright and stretching her arms. She blinked when she noticed him on the floor. "Nem? What're you doing?" She asked.

Nem unsteadily got to his feet, and walked out of the cell. "I try to be nice despite still being annoyed with you two, and you both attack me in your sleep. See if I ever do either of you a favor again." He grumbled, stomping out of the prison.

Aya watched him as he left, obviously clueless. "What was that all about?"

"Just ignore him." Valen yawned. "How'd you manage to sleep so easily in a place like this, anyway? I couldn't stand it."

"I've never been in jail before, it was interesting. The bed leaves something to be desired though." Aya said. "It's not like there was much choice. The barracks were full, along with almost everywhere else. It was sleep here or outside."

"I think I'd have preferred outside..." Valen muttered.

"Too late to complain now. We'd better head up and see how much longer it is until we leave."

--

Cassandra glanced around the crowded tavern. Parven was sitting at a corner table with Ray and Carol. Nem was at the bar, talking with the Argonian bartender. She didn't recognize anyone else except for Emily, who was sitting across from her and eating.

"You know, Em... I'm surprised. I didn't think an oddball like Parven could round up this many members." She said, leaning her chair back so it was standing on only two legs and touching the wall. "Especially considering the pay is crap."

"Well, why are you here?" Emily asked, prodding the slab of hound meat on her plate with a fork.

Cassandra's chair clunked back onto all four legs as she leaned forward. "I have a score to settle with the ASP." She said coldly. "The fetchers caught me off guard, beat me to a pulp and locked me up thinking I was a member of Forlorn just because I had met Parven earlier. I'd probably be dead now if a group from Forlorn hadn't rescued me. After they did I swore revenge on the ASP and my loyalty to Parven until they're wiped out." She stared at the table for a moment, thinking. She quickly pushed the thoughts of anger out of her mind for now, there would be plenty of time for it later. "How about you? Why're you involved in all this, Emily?" She inquired.

"I wanted a change of pace. I'm a member of the Great House Telvanni originally, most of the time it was boring or dangerous. Of course, now that I think about it... it's the same here." She laughed.

"Telvanni? I didn't think someone like you could be part of... something like that."

"What can I say? I'm drawn to new challenges. That one was interesting, but it got dull after a while."

"So, how did you learn about Forlorn?"

"Almost the same way you did. I was saved by one of the members here. Unfortunately... he doesn't seem to remember me. Maybe it's because my face was covered in blood when we first met..."

"Covered in blood?!" Cassandra exclaimed.

Emily just nodded. "Yeah. I'd rather not think about it though. It was a month or so after that when I came to Suran to find Forlorn."

"So... who was it?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Attention!" Parven yelled over the chatter. "I have an announcement!" The voices died down as everyone looked in his direction. "We will be departing in an hour! Everyone make your preparations!"

--

Mossanon was resting on the ground at the edge of Lake Masobi and staring across the water, lost in thought. He hadn't thought much about the future during his time in Ald-Ruhn, but he never would have imagined things turning out like this. He didn't even notice the person walking up behind him until they spoke.

"I've finally caught you on your own."

Mossanon jumped, taken completely off guard. Schimmel was standing behind him. He wasn't sure by Schimmel's expression if he wanted to talk or kick his face in. The latter would be understandable, but he really hoped it wouldn't involve violence.

Schimmel sighed, walking up next to him and dropping onto the ground. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mossanon didn't need to ask what, it could only have been one thing. "I couldn't. If I had..."

"You'd both be dead right now?"

"Probably... at least if Parven had found out. If I had told you and he found out later, he'd probably kill you as well."

"Don't you think he'd kill me for what I know about you already?"

"You could always deny it. I'd rather you did, if it came to that." Mossanon said, laying back in the grass.

"Still..."

Quick footfalls made both of them glace back. Aya was running over to them, waving. Nem was trudging along slowly behind her. "There you are!" She yelled, dropping and sliding across the last couple feet of grass until she came to a stop next to Schimmel. "Whatcha doin'? Looking at clouds?"

"Aya, we don't have time for messing around. Be serious for once." Nem grumbled, walking up behind her. "You two better take care of anything you need to do. We leave in half an hour. I would have told you sooner, but I couldn't find you."

"Oh, okay. I'm pretty much ready, all I have to do is grab the stuff from my chest in the storage room." Mossanon said, getting up and heading back to the guild. "Best to get it now, I suppose."

Aya waited until Mossanon was out of earshot before speaking. "What's wrong with you two? You've been acting depressed lately, Schimmel. And Nem, you're being more unpleasant than usual."

"I just..." Nem paused. "Wait a sec, what do you mean 'more unpleasant than usual', Aya?!" he snapped.

"After what happened that night... I don't see how you can blame us for acting a bit differently." Schimmel mumbled.

"I guess not... but we're going to finish this thing today, right?" Aya said, laying back in the grass.

"If we don't end up dead." Nem muttered. "We'll finally get some answers. I hate being this confused." He turned to walk off, but hesitated. "You two had better be ready when we get there. I made a deal with Parven and I don't want you slowing me down."

"What kind of deal?" Schimmel asked.

"I'll tell you on the way, I have to take care of something right now." He said, leaving Schimmel and Aya to wonder what he meant.

--

The Guild gathered on the other side of the bridge out of town. Nem looked around at all the unfamiliar faces, wondering how there could be even more meeting up with them at Ghostgate. He was waiting for Parven to give the order to move out, when someone bumped into him.

"Ah, sorry. It's hard to move around here." Mossanon said.

"No kidding... I hate crowds." Nem grumbled. "Have you seen the rest of our team?"

"Our team...?"

"Oh right, I haven't told anyone yet. Just look for Schimmel, Aya or Valen."

"You called?" Aya said brightly, grabbing Nem's right hand.

"Er... yeah, but why-"

"It's so we can't get separated in this chaos, right Schimmy?" She said, pulling Schimmel up, who had been hanging onto her other hand. "If I hadn't had a good grip on you, you would have been trampled by the crowd when you tripped."

"I wouldn't have tripped in the first place if you hadn't been pulling so hard." Schimmel sighed.

"We're just missing Valen then." Nem said, looking around again. The crowd was too thick, he couldn't see more than three heads away.

Parven's voice rang out from above the crowd. "All right, is everyone here?" He was hovering a few feet overhead. There were two long objects wrapped in cloth hanging on his back, and he was wearing an extravagant purple robe. A few people in the group below whispered comments about how it looked more like he was going to a fancy dinner than a battle. "We will head west through the Fields of Kummu, until we reach Foyada Mamaea. From there it's a straight walk to the Ghostgate. Archers and mages, I humbly request that you pick off the countless cliff racers that will undoubtedly dive at us during our trip, and leave the ground annoyances to the fighters. Understood? Good. Now lets be off!"

As the small army began marching forward, Nem glanced at Schimmel and Aya, who was still tightly gripping his hand. _We're the last three on that list I found. Ruby was probably only on it for cover, but the other names... is it because we're the biggest threat, or was it something else? Either way, if we're together we can watch each others backs... or all be killed at the same time. I really hope I haven't made a big mistake by making that deal with Parven to keep us all together._


	47. The End Begins

**Chapter 47: The End Begins**

"Get everything ready! We're behind schedule!" Rodran yelled, watching countless ASP members dashing around with zero sense of order. "Damn useless mercenaries. Jiub will have your heads if it's not ready in time!"

"Cool it, Rodran. You know Jiub wouldn't kill any of them, we need all the help we can get against Parven." Ruby said calmly, sitting on a nearby crate and leaning against another with her eyes closed.

"I thought you were asleep."

"Who could sleep through you barking orders? They're doing the best they can, give them a break."

"I guess you haven't heard." Mortifer said, walking out of the torrent of ASP mercs. "Ganus just came back and reported that Parven's little army is on the move."

"Already? I figured it would have taken him longer to decode that part. Well, I'd better give everyone a hand." Ruby yawned, hopping off the crate.

"Actually, could you tell Jiub about the development? I have something to see to."

"Sure thing, Morty." Ruby said, heading through a wooden door Rodran had been standing in front of. She walked down the tunnel beyond it until it widened slightly, ending at a rather large pair of sturdy, ornate wooden doors. She pushed them open and walked into a massive cave. There were four doors, two on each side wall, but straight ahead there was a sharp drop into a chasm full of magma.

Ruby walked over to the edge, looking down. It was fairly deep, and there was nothing to grab onto on the way down if someone fell. Anyone that slipped and didn't know a levitation spell had no hope of survival. She glanced at the cliff that poked out near the center of the edge, it was big enough to hold one or two people, and stretched out halfway across the chasm. Jiub liked to stand at the tip and stare down into the magma when he needed to think about something. She thought he was a bit crazy for doing it, but he always said it was safer to stand there during an earthquake than fighting with Parven, which she also didn't understand. From what she saw of Parven at Forlorn, he didn't act like someone that could be dangerous. Of course, neither did Jiub.

As she stared into the magma below, a cheerful voice pierced the silence. "Ah, I see you have found out why I go there to think as well! It's quite relaxing, isn't it?"

Ruby turned to face the speaker, still too focused on her thoughts to be surprised. A Dunmer with a scar across his right eye was smiling at her, Rachel at his heels. It took her a moment to remember why she had been looking for him. "Jiub... Parven and the rest of Forlorn are on their way. Preparations are a little behind, but we should still have everything ready before they get here."

"Excellent... you know the plan, right?"

"I've gone over it countless times since I got back. I know what I have to do."

"I knew I could count on you. What about you, are you ready?" Jiub asked, glancing back at the open door he had come through.

"Yes." A soft voice said. "Thank you... for going along with my idea."

"Anything for you, dear sister." Jiub smiled as the speaker emerged from the next room.

"I just hope I'm right... I've known Nem for long enough I should know how he thinks. I just hope nothing goes wrong." Trelana said, leaning against the doorframe. "Of course, even if it does... he won't let himself get killed until he has answers. He's stubborn like that."

--

"All right!" Parven yelled, hovering above everyone else between the towers of dusk and dawn. They had arrived at Ghostgate an hour ago and joined up with the group waiting there. Parven had just finished going over a few orders, but being slightly vague about it. Obviously he was still a bit wary about spies. "Follow me!" He lead the way through the Ghostgate, taking more than half of the group with him, including Cassandra and Emily.

The rest of them waited a couple minutes for Parven's team to get out of view before entering as well. Raymond led the second team, although he wasn't very enthusiastic about it. A few of the stronger members stayed in front of him, since he wasn't much of a fighter. Before long the area outside of the Ghostgate was deserted.

A short while after the second team had vanished into the distance, the door to the Tower of Dusk slowly creaked open. A small group of ten had slipped into the tower during the unordered confusion once they had arrived. Carol peeked out of the door, making sure nobody was around. "Looks clear to me." She mumbled.

Aya was leaning against the wall, still hanging on to Nem and Schimmel for some odd reason. She didn't seem to want to let them go. "That mean we should go in now?"

"No." Mossanon said, pacing the hallway. "Give it another minute or two. We'll go then."

Valen was sitting on the ground by the door, staring at the ring on his finger. "How do you think Parven got his hands on these?" He wondered. They each had been given a ring that would render them invisible for two minutes, but they only had enough charge for three uses.

"Who cares? As long as they work." Nem said, trying to think. Aya's grip was distracting. Mainly because it was so tight his fingers had gone numb.

Schimmel glanced at the other people that had joined them. A male Orc was leaning on his giant warhammer, looking bored. A female Nord was pacing, much like Mossanon, with a silver longsword resting on her shoulder. A Khajiit, also female, was leaning against the wall, looking everyone over. The fourth addition to the team was a female Bosmer, who had run off into the tower looking for a shop.

Once the Bosmer returned, Carol, acting as the current leader of the group, ordered everyone to use the first charge of their rings and hurry through the Ghostgate. If any ASP members were still watching for Forlorn reinforcements at the gate, they didn't want to be seen.

--

Raymond was resting on a rock along the path, his Redguard and Imperial bodyguards on each side of him. The rest of his battalion were preparing themselves for the coming battle. They had already dealt with a small group of ASP troops, along with countless blighted monsters and a handful of corpus beasts. The cliffside entrance to the ASP headquarters was just over the next ridge, but Raymond was giving his troops, and himself, a moment to rest before the final charge.

"Sir, shouldn't we move now?" The Imperial asked, glancing anxiously at the road ahead.

Raymond looked from him, to the troops, to the path before them. "I suppose so. We can't put it off any longer." He sighed, standing up. "Okay, everyone! Time to strike!"

--

Parven leaned against a large boulder at a bend in the path. He peered around the corner at the old, massive stone bridge just ahead. Beyond it was a small collection of guards, maybe a dozen at the most, guarding the main gate of the ASP HQ. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting never usually bothered him, but when he was this close...

"Commander." Cassandra said, walking up to him with Emily just behind her. "May I ask why we are simply standing around?"

Parven grinned at her. "Think of it as the calm before the storm."

"Commander..."

"We're probably waiting for some kind of signal." Emily said, peeking around the corner.

"My, how perceptive of you. We are waiting for Raymond to let us know that his attack has begun." Parven said, looking around the corner as well. "My guess is you're also thinking that-"

"There are too few guards?"

"Mmm... yes. There is probably a small army waiting just inside to come rushing out when we attack."

"Not just that, look up there." Emily pointed to the peak of the mountain the ASP headquarters were built into.

"I don't see anything." Parven mumbled.

"Oh, come on, it's a classic defense style."

In seemingly random places above the front gate, there were dark indentations in the mountain. "I see..." Cassandra muttered. "It's built like a castle. Those innocent-looking black bits are holes in the mountainside archers can shoot from with little threat of reprisal. Getting in is going to be a challenge."

"A big challenge... I can't wait." Emily said, excitedly bouncing from one foot to the other and smiling. "Come on Ray, give the signal already."

As if on cue, a weak fireball streaked across the sky from the eastern side of the mountain. "There we go." Parven said, turning to his army. "All units! Attack!"

--

Caroline and her team hurried down the road, passing a group of ASP soldiers rushing off in the other direction. If it hadn't been for the invisibility rings, they would have had a difficult fight on their hands. That was the third group they had passed in less than a minute. It seemed like the battle elsewhere had already begun.

They moved down a narrow ledge, a small pit of lava just below. The final charge of their rings ended just before they arrived at the far end of the ledge. They entered the small cave opening there, inside there was nothing but a square room carved into the rock, a sad excuse of a door built into the left wall, and unusual round holes in the wall directly across from it.

Valen glanced around the room, then hurried over to the door, pressing his ear against it. The rest of the group examined the room for traps, but nothing stood out, apart from the holes in the wall. Nem walked over to them, they were about waist height, and wide enough to reach into.

"I don't hear anything." Valen mumbled. "Should we go through?"

"No." The Khajiit said, her eyes closed. "There is a sound, you simply fail to notice it. Listen."

Valen turned back to the door, straining his ears to hear the slightest noise. Everyone else did the same. Schimmel was the first to break the silence. "All I hear is the wind."

"Fools." The Khajiit grumbled, taking a throwing knife from her belt and throwing it at the wall. It stopped a few feet away, hanging in midair. "That sound is not wind." A stream of red began to flow from the bottom of the blade, and an archer appeared, the knife lodged in his forehead. As the archer dropped to the ground, more appeared along the walls, their bows drawn and aiming at the group.

The voice of their commander echoed in the cave. "Fire!"


	48. The Storm

**Chapter 48: The Storm**

"Master Jiub!" A young Breton yelled, running through the ornate doors leading to the "final" room as Jiub called it. "Master Jiub! They... I..."

Jiub had been staring over the ledge into the chasm of magma again, lost in thought. He glanced back at the Breton, who had just stepped on the hem of his old brown robe and fallen over. "Miles? Calm yourself. What is the problem?"

"Forlorn has begun their attack. Rodran sent me to inform you of it." Miles said, quickly getting to his feet and brushing himself off.

"He's still pushing you around, I see. Well then, what is the status of our welcoming parties?" Jiub asked, turning to face him.

"They were all in position before the attack began, so the traps are ready to be sprung, sir. I-" The ground trembled lightly, making both Miles and Jiub look up.

"That's the first trap, I expect." Jiub said, grinning. "That should take a nice chunk out of Parven's forces. What of the Generals? I'm certain Ruby and Mortifer are in position, but is that idiot obeying orders for once?"

"Er... I do not mean to insult my superiors, sir, but... could you be more specific? Which of the trio are you referring to?"

Jiub laughed. "The lead one, Rodran. What was he doing when you left him?"

"He was setting something up in a side room... I'm not sure what or why."

"A side room? What the hell is he up to now?" Jiub grumbled, scratching his head. "Go tell the idiot to do what he was ordered to for once, or I'll take back his relic. He'll know what it means."

"Yes, Master Jiub." Miles said, bowing slightly before running back the way he came.

Jiub waited until he was gone, then turned back to the magma. "Damn you, Rodran. Now is not the time for you to be pulling this crap."

--

Raymond dove behind a boulder just before an arrow whizzed by where his head had been. "This is insane!" He cried as arrows continued to pelt the ground and rock he was hiding behind.

"It was your idea." His Imperial bodyguard mumbled, taking cover as well.

"Splitting up was Nem's idea, not mine. I just added to it." Raymond said, glancing up at the archers atop the cliff. "There are only a few of them, we just have to keep their attention and not get killed."

"Tell that to the members stupid enough to charge at them."

"If they're suicidal, it's their problem. I told everyone to stay low until the time was right."

"Yes, but why are we just-" The ground suddenly shook, and the sound of an explosion came from the direction of the front gates to the ASP HQ.

"What the hell was that!?"

--

Emily watched the sight before her in horror. As the main force crossed the bridge ahead, it erupted into a massive fireball, sending soldiers and chunks of stone flying in all directions.

Parven chuckled beside her. "Honestly Jiub, wasn't that overkill?"

Emily began to move forward without thinking, wanting to help anyone that wasn't killed by the blast, but Parven grabbed her shoulder. Before she could object a chunk of bridge the size of a guar landed on the ground just ahead. If Parven hadn't stopped her, she would have been crushed by it.

"Be more careful, you don't want to die too quickly." He said with a laugh.

"Th... thanks." She stuttered, glancing up for any more falling debris before going to check on the soldiers caught in the explosion.

Cassandra looked over her shoulder as the bridge was destroyed. She, and about a quarter of the other members, had made it across. Her attention was drawn from the destruction behind her by the shouting of the ASP guards as they charged the group that had made it across. She readied her sword and charged at the incoming soldiers, as did the other surviving Forlorn members.

--

"That... was scary." The Bosmer panted, leaning against the wall and looking over the fallen archers. Thanks to the Khajiit's early warning, and the ineptitude of the archers, most of the team had managed to drop before the archers shot, letting them kill each other in the crossfire. The ones that didn't get hit by their allies were quickly dispatched before they could ready another arrow.

"We're lucky they didn't try anything more vicious." The Orc grunted, wiping some of the blood off his warhammer.

"Some of us weren't that lucky." Valen said, crouching over the female Nord's corpse. She hadn't got down in time and had been struck in the throat by one of the arrows.

"No kidding. Now hold still, Moss. This _will_ hurt." Nem said, gripping the middle of the arrow that was stuck in Mossanon's left forearm.

"It already hurts, but shouldn't someone stronger beEEARGH!" Mossanon screamed as Nem yanked the arrow from his arm.

"Stop whining and heal yourself. I'm not wasting my energy on you." Nem sighed, tossing the arrow aside and leaning against the wall.

"You'd make a bad healer... your bedside manner is horrible." Mossanon grumbled, using a healing spell on his arm.

"This is a battlefield, not a hospital. Your minor complaints don't mean crap here, so save your breath."

"Why are you still being such a jerk? Shouldn't you be happy this will be over soon?" Aya asked.

"Soon isn't fast enough. If by some miracle we make it to Jiub, we'll probably have to face off against his minons before that. Including Ruby, if you've forgotten. I don't know about you, but I'm not looking forward to that. I doubt Schimmel is either."

Schimmel twitched at the mention of Ruby's name, and he turned his gaze to the floor. "I've... I've already made a descion about that. I'm..."

A click made Schimmel, and everyone else, look at the door into the base. The Bosmer had been getting impatient listening to the idle chatter and was opening the door.

"What are you doing?!" Nem yelled. "Get out of the doorway, it's a trap!"

Before the Bosmer could take a step, she was thrown backwards and slammed against the opposite wall. What looked like the back half of a massive arrow was sticking out of her chest.

"Damn, I knew it! Moss, help me out here!" Nem yelled, dashing next to the doorway and charging a shockball spell.

Mossanon followed suit, favoring a fireball spell. "Ready?"

"Now!" Carol ordered, joining them at the doorway and throwing an iceball spell through just as they did.

Three orbs flew down the tunnel beyond, screams coming from the people at the other end were quickly silenced by a trio of explosions and the smash of metal echoing down the long cavern. Once the group was certain no other sounds were coming from the other end, they started down the tunnel. What they found were five charred corpses and the remains of whatever device had fired the giant arrow at them.

"I guess this is it... we got inside." Carol said, pushing one of the corpses away from a door that led deeper into the cavern.

Nem crouched by the pile of bent and darkened metal, picking up a piece and wiping it off. "Looks like a Dwemer tube. I really hope I live though this now..." He commented with a laugh. "I can just imagine the look on Edwinna's face if I told her I blew up a working Dwemer artifact."

"Would you stay focused?" Carol grumbled. "We have to get on with the plan. Some of us have to take out the guards at the side entrance where Ray is..."

"And the others look for the prison to hopefully find some reinforcements." Mossanon interrupted. "We know the plan."

"Right. I'll lead the team to assist Ray-" She began, but was interrupted by Nem.

"And I'll lead the team that seeks out the prison. Schimmel, Aya, Valen... you're with me."

"I'm the one in charge!" She snapped. "If you don't follow my-"

"Carol." He said as he walked by her, pulling open the door to the next room. "I don't care. Azura herself couldn't stop me right now, so I doubt you could if you tried." He gave her a cold look. "Just go do your job, I'll do mine. Come on, you three." He said simply, walking through the doorway.

Carol glared after him, but said nothing. Getting to Raymond's aid was more important to her than arguing with Nem. She waved to her team and rushed through the door as well.

--

Nem walked down the winding cavern that acted as a hallway, glancing into openings as he passed them.

"Shouldn't you be more careful about guards?" Valen asked, following nervously with his bow at the ready.

"Most of them are probably going after the main attack force, like Ray said they would. We shouldn't meet much interference." Nem replied casually. "And if anyone does try to hold me up, I'll ram my dagger down their throat before they know what happened."

The trio behind him shared an uneasy glance at his back, then at each other. None of them had seen him act like this before...

"Here." He said, coming to a stop. "Prisons are usually on the lower levels, so this looks like the right place."

Schimmel glanced into the cave Nem was talking about. It sloped down sharply, wooden steps built over the drop and leading down into darkness. "You sure about that?" He wondered.

"Best place to start." Nem answered, starting down the stairs.

After arriving at the bottom, they followed a dimly lit path until they came to a large room, thick iron bars visible at the other end. There were no guards around, and one glance confirmed Nem's worries. The prison was empty.

Aya walked slowly up to the bars, looking around the empty cell as if waiting for someone to magically appear. "T-this can't be right... Barbarius should be here, at least. I mean..." She stammered.

A laugh echoed in the prison. "I hate to disappoint you... but the ASP isn't one to take prisoners."

"Who's there!?" Valen demanded, aiming his bow at the nearest dark corner of the room.

"Someone's who's very lucky. To meet up with my rival again in a place like this... it's time to prove your worth!" Ganus suddenly dropped from the ceiling, landing next to Valen. There was a flash and Valen dropped onto the ground, his arrow striking the wall.

"You again!" Aya shouted, rushing at Ganus. She hadn't gotten more than two feet before he was next to her. There was another flash, and she collapsed as well.

"Well, there go the ones most likely to interfere." Ganus said, dashing over to Nem and sliding to a stop in front of him. "You didn't fight back when I left with Ruby and Trelana... so can I trust you to stay out of this one, too? From what I've heard, you're probably the one with the most sense out of this little group."

Nem looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "That's quite nice of you to say, Ganus..." He grabbed Ganus' left wrist and planted his right hand on Ganus' chest. "...though I'm afraid you heard wrong."

Flames erupted between them, sending them both flying. Nem slammed into the wall by the path back up, hitting the ground with a thud. Ganus was throw backwards into the iron bars of the prison with enough force that he dented the ones he hit before slumping onto the ground.

Schimmel rubbed his eyes from the brightness, having expecting the explosion as much as Ganus. Once things came back into focus, he looked from Nem to Ganus for a moment, then dashed in Nem's direction.

"Reasonable my ass..." Ganus coughed, struggling to stand. "Trelana was wrong, you're just insane! Luckily you forgot fire doesn't do much to Dunmer like myself... or that might've been fatal..."

Schimmel slowed to a stop, turning to Ganus. He was about to speak when he heard Nem groan.

"If I was trying to kill you, I would've done it right then." He said with a weak laugh, looking up. "I just wanted to make sure you couldn't... ugh..." Nem's head hit the ground again as he passed out.

"Couldn't what? Walk? Damn him." Ganus grumbled, quickly trying to heal himself. "All right Schimmel, now that they're out of the way... you and I can duel."

"Why are you so obsessed with fighting me? You're making as much sense about your motivation as Harnaten!" Schimmel said, unsheathing his sword. "You don't think I killed one of your relatives too, do you?"

"You didn't kill anyone I care about. You stole something from me, and I want it back, or at least proof that you're worthy of it!" He yelled, rushing at Schimmel.

Schimmel swore as his sword connected with Ganus'. "Why can I never get a straight answer from you people?!"

Clangs of metal echoed in the prison as Schimmel and Ganus continued to exchange swings. Neither of them noticed the new arrival that had been lured down by the noise, or that they were now dragging one of the unconscious Forlorn members out of the prison.


	49. Blighted Blood

**Chapter 49: Blighted Blood**

"Damn it, not again!" Carol yelled, blasting one of the ASP troops they were ambushed by with an frostball spell. After the Orc took down the remaining two, she looked at the forked path they had come to. This was the third one they had come across in less than five minutes. "This place is built like a labyrinth."

"It's this way." Mossanon said, starting down the right tunnel.

"How would you know that?" The Orc asked.

"I have a good head for layouts? Just come on, Raymond's team is probably in trouble!" He called back.

Carol exchanged curious looks with the Orc and Khajiit before dashing down the tunnel after him.

--

"Does it ever end?!" Cassandra screamed as continued to cleave her way through the soldiers that were now pouring through the archway deeper into the ASP's headquarters. They had managed to make it through the front gate with a little under have the forces they began with, but numbers were dropping fast.

"Be thankful they went for quantity over quality, otherwise you'd be dead by now." Parven said, standing back and watching the battle.

"It would be easier if you'd help, you lazy fetcher!" Cassandra yelled back at him as she cut down another ASP guard.

"Oh?" Parven raised his right hand, sending a spell into the oncoming ASP troops. An explosion to rival the one that took out the bridge earlier sent bodies flying in all directions, ASP and Forlorn alike. "You're right, that was easier. Faster too. Let's see here..." He continued the assault, blasting every ASP troop in sight regardless of whether or not any of his own troops were caught in the blast.

By the time the dust settled, hardly anyone was left on either side. The ASP troops had stopped rushing into the room, and most of the Forlorn soldiers had retreated when Parven went on his little killing spree.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Cassandra shouted at him, Emily and a handful of Forlorn members standing behind her. "You could have killed everyone in here! Don't you care about your own troops?!"

"Of course I do." Parven replied with a smile. "That's why I wasn't fighting as you suggested. I'm quite the maniac on the battlefield. Now then, shall we continue?" He started across the room, stepping over the charred corpses of unidentifiable soldiers. He came to a stop at the tunnel, turning back to notice nobody was following him. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't think I want to work with someone who can disregard the lives of his allies so easily." Cassandra said crossly.

"I'm with Cassie." Emily agreed from behind her, the other Forlorn troops nodding in agreement as well.

Parven just smiled his usual smile. "Very well, it's your choice. Goodbye." Three flashes of light streaked from his hand, the first striking the entrance, and the others hitting the ceiling above the remaining Forlorn members.

The entrance was reduced to rubble and large chunks of rock rained down on Cassandra and the others as they scattered to avoid them. The loud crashing of stone and screams of the Forlorn troops lasted only a few seconds before it died away. Giving the pile of rubble left behind one last look, he turned and headed into the base, smiling all the while.

--

Schimmel parried Ganus' onslaught, countering enough to slowly push him back toward the cell bars. Ganus' focus had been solely on the offensive, he hadn't noticed how limited his movement was getting until he bumped into one of the bars. The second he thought Ganus was distracted by the bump, Schimmel took a short step back and thrust his sword at the Dunmer's chest.

Ganus leapt to the side, avoiding the attack and countering with a horizontal swing that tore along Schimmel's right arm. He cried out in pain, dropping his sword. Ganus dashed behind him, slashing the back of his legs and bringing him to the ground. Ganus kicked Schimmel's sword away, bringing his own to Schimmel's throat.

He looked down at Schimmel, grinning. "I win."

--

Raymond swore loudly, hurling another fireball at the archers atop the slope that were relentlessly firing at his team. Both of his bodyguards had been hit, and the others were no better off. Cover was in short supply, and the few that were stupid enough to rush the archers were killed before they were halfway to the slope.

He looked at the few remaining soldiers that were hiding behind the other rocks, occasionally taking a shot at the archers. Anyone that tried to attack was as good as dead... the same for anyone that tried to flee. If their help didn't come soon, there would be nobody left to rescue.

An explosion came from the direction of the archers, followed by panicked shouts as the arrows that had been pelting the ground stopped falling. Raymond glanced around his cover just in time to see an Orc cleave the last three archers in half. He stepped around the rock to get a better look, signaling for the rest of his team to do the same.

Caroline was sprinting down the slope, followed by the Orc and a Kahjiit. "Ray, are you all right?!" She called out.

"I'm fine, but we lost a lot of people here." He answered, looking over Caroline and her companions. "Only you three made it?"

"Three?" Caroline glanced back at the Orc and Kahjiit. "Where did Mossanon go? He was right with us when we were fighting those archers."

--

Mossanon ran through the tunnels. Now that Caroline's group had met up with Raymond's, he figured they could take care of themselves. He just had to remember where to go... it had been a while since he left this place, after all. He turned a corner and crashed into someone, knocking them both onto the ground.

"Oww..." A Breton groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head. "Watch where you're go..." he noticed Mossanon's face and trailed off.

Mossanon smiled at him. "Miles, my old friend. It has been a while. How goes the restoration training?"

Miles stared blankly at him. "Wha... but... you..." he stuttered, looking very confused.

"You're right, that can wait." Mossanon said, getting up and pulling the Breton along with him. "I need your help, take me to the lower floors, would you? I can't remember where the stairs are."

--

Nem slowly opened his eyes, his body aching from slamming into the wall. He squeezed his left hand into a fist, feeling that he still held the ring he had stolen from Ganus in the blast. He chuckled to himself, looking up at the Dunmer's back that was turned to him. It took him a moment to realize it wasn't Ganus', and that he was no longer in the prison.

He got up quickly, wondering where he had been moved to. He was in a small room containing a few chairs and a pile of crates in the corner. Once the Dunmer finished securing the only door out, he turned and smirked, clearly not surprised to Nem standing.

"Finally I get to have my revenge." He said coldly, unsheathing the wakazashi that was hanging on his belt.

Nem looked at him for a moment, then shook his head and sighed. "Some people never learn. Come now, Rodran... is this a joke?" He wondered.

"Oh no. This time, I'm going to kill you. It's that simple." Rodran replied, raising his sword.

"Fool, this won't be any different that the last few times." Nem said, reaching for his bow only to find it missing. He checked for his dagger, but it was gone too. Glaring at Rodran, he raised his right hand to blast him with a shockball spell... and nothing happened. "What the-"

While Nem was trying to figure out what was happening, Rodran took two steps forward and kicked him in the chest, knocking him into the wall. A fresh surge of pain shot through his body. He was still battered from the explosive confrontation with Ganus, and since he couldn't even try to heal himself-

Rodran swung his wakazashi, slashing Nem's right arm. "I'm going to take my time and enjoy this." He laughed.

Nem tried to back away, gripping his arm and bumping into the wall. "You twisted fetcher." He muttered between clenched teeth, wondering what to do.

"You have no idea." Rodran grinned and thrust his sword into Nem's leg, watching him drop to the ground screaming in pain.


	50. The Long and Winding Road

**Chapter 50: The Long and Winding Road**

Ganus walked to the middle of the prison, looking around and sheathing his sword. Aya and Valen were still on the ground, but Nem was nowhere in sight. "Damn it, I had a few choice words for that Breton lunatic. Where'd he go?" He wondered aloud. It didn't seem likely that he would just leave while Schimmel was being attacked, so where could he have gone?

He walked over to the passage up and crouched down, examining the floor. It marks in the dirt suggested that someone was dragged out, but it didn't make any sense. Why would anyone just drag him away... unless...

"Must be Rodran's doing... nobody else would be this stupid." He sighed, standing up and looking over his shoulder. "I'm going on ahead, you deal with those two."

Schimmel was leaning against the bars, still sore even though Ganus had healed his wounds after making him agree to some rather idiotic terms before letting him up. He simply nodded, limping over to where Aya was laying and trying to wake her up.

Ganus hurried down the tunnel, trying to figure out where Rodran would have gone. Obviously not to his post. Why Jiub even bothered to keep the fool around was beyond him.

--

Raymond and Caroline led the group into the base, carefully checking for more enemies as they went. They were lucky, almost five minutes later they hadn't run into any opposition... but they also had no idea where to go from there. It felt like they were walking around in circles.

"Why couldn't they have a normal layout?" Raymond wondered with a sigh.

"It wouldn't be much of a base if it was easy to get around in. Enemies that got in would get around too easily as well." Caroline pointed out.

"Right." Raymond muttered, coming to a stop at where the tunnel forked again. "Left or right, this time?"

Before Caroline could respond, the faint echo of footsteps could be heard coming from one of the tunnels. The group readied their weapons, half watching each tunnel as the sound grew louder. A man appeared around the curve in the right tunnel and everyone shifted their attention to him.

"Master Parven?" Raymond stared at him, wondering if it was some kind of trick.

Parven looked them over, smiled and waved. "Hello, Raymond. How are you doing? Team still in one piece?"

Raymond didn't answer, he was too surprised at seeing Parven alone, walking casually through the ASP's headquarters like it was nothing.

Caroline spoke up, since he wouldn't. "We lost a lot of people on the way in. What about you? Where's the rest of the frontal assault team?"

"Dead, I'm afraid." Parven said casually. "Things went wrong, the entrance collapsed... it was all very messy. Good to see your team is still mostly intact, though." He turned, heading to the tunnel to their left. "Come along, we should deal with Jiub before our numbers dwindle any lower."

Raymond and Caroline hesitated, both confused about how he could talk about half of his guild being wiped out in the same tone that people use to discuss the weather. Once they regained their thoughts, they waved for the group behind them to follow, heading after Parven.

--

Mossanon watched the wall slide open, revealing a hidden staircase downward. "Ah, yes. I forgot about this route. Your assistance is much appreciated, Miles."

"Y-you're welcome." Miles mumbled, not used to being thanked since most of his orders came from Rodran, who never offered a hint of gratitude to anyone. "You'll find who you're looking for in the room below... just pull the torch on the wall to open the door at the bottom of the stairs."

"Perfect. Maybe I can talk some sense into them before we end up with too much of a bloodbath on our hands." Mossanon said, looking down the stairs. "Come along, Miles."

"Ah... but I was supposed to..."

"Rodran's foolishness can wait." Mossanon interrupted him. "I'm on an important job here, and you're still my assistant, are you not?"

Miles scratched his head. "Well... working for you was certainly a lot more pleasant than being ordered around by Rodran... but..."

"That's the spirit!" Mossanon grabbed Miles by the arm, pulling him along as he started down the staircase.

--

Ganus ran down the tunnels, his eyes on the ground. Following the marks left by Nem's body, he found himself coming to a stop when a scream came from one of the rooms he was approaching. Cursing followed, along with a laugh. The latter was definitely Rodran... he'd know that voice anywhere. He tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Rodran!" Ganus shouted, slamming his fist onto the door. "Open up, damn it! Your orders-"

"My orders are a joke!" Rodran yelled from beyond the door. "Jiub is a fool! Orland had the right idea, slaughter every last one of the fetchers! I'm following his example, starting with this one!"

"Rodran, don't-!"

"It ends with this blow!"

Nem's voice rang out. "Damn right it does!"

"What the hell?!"

A pair of screams came from the other side of the door, followed closely by a heavy thump and silence.

Ganus froze, listening for any sounds of movement. "Rodran? Nem?" He called out, unsheathing his sword and jamming it into the handle in an attempt to pry the door open. "Why do simple plans always get this damned complicated?!"

There was a snap as the lock broke, and Ganus kicked the door open. Rodran was face-down on the ground, but didn't appear to be injured. Nem, however, was sitting with his back against the wall, slashes along his arms, legs and Rodran's wakazashi lodged in his side. Ganus swore, rushing over to Nem and pulling the blade out, quickly healing his wounds before he lost too much blood.

Nem grinned weakly at him. "Thanks, Ganus. I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for that ring of yours I swiped."

"A theft done in the most idiotic way I have ever seen. Honestly, blowing both of us up? You're out of your mind." Ganus said, healing Nem's last cut and standing up. "Rodran's still alive, then?"

"Only for another minute." Nem said, grabbing Rodran's wakazashi off the floor.

"Hold on!" Ganus said quickly. "I can't stand by while you kill one of my allies, even if he is scum. Why not..." he looked around the room, eyes coming to rest on the pile of crates in the corner. "...stuff him in one of those? It would get him out of the way, at least."

Nem glared at him for a moment. "Fine. You're going to have to do it, though, if you're serious about not letting me just kill the fetcher. I don't have the strength to lift anyone at the moment..."

Ganus smirked. "All right." He grabbed one of Rodran's legs, dragging him over to the crates without even trying to be gentle about it. He opened the lid of one packed with clothes, lifted and dropped Rodran into it. He slid another crate onto it, just be sure Rodran would have a hard time getting out. He turned away from the crates, and was slammed back into them as Nem crashed into him, pressing the wakazashi's blade against his throat.

"Now that he's out of the way, I think it's time to deal with you." Nem said coldly. "You've been a great help with Rodran, but it's still not enough. Unless you can give me a very good reason not to slit your throat right here."

"What are you talking abo-" Ganus choked as the edge was pressed harder against his neck.

"Are you that much of a fool?" Nem growled. "Before the fetcher in the box dragged me off, you were fighting Schimmel. And since you're here now, that must mean... Schimmel, Aya, Valen... you..." he trailed off for a moment, before pushing the blade hard enough that it broke Ganus' skin, a sliver of blood running down to the sword's tip. "Forget it. There's no reason good enough to excuse you killing my friends! Now die!"


	51. Taking Revenge

**Chapter 51: Taking Revenge**

"Stop!"

Nem saw one hand come from behind him, grasping his wrist before he could move the blade, and felt an arm wrap around his chest, yanking him away from Ganus. He groaned as the person's grip tightened around where Rodran had stabbed him, judging by how much it still hurt, healing wasn't Ganus' strong point.

"We're fine, Nem! You don't need to kill him!" The person latched onto him said. It took him a moment to realize it was Aya.

Nem glanced over his shoulder. Valen and Schimmel were coming through the doorway, both looking a little confused. Aya must have run off ahead of them like she usually did.

"You're all okay?" He asked weakly.

"More or less." Schimmel said, rubbing his arm where Ganus had slashed it earlier. Though there was no visible wound anymore, it still ached.

"Good..." Nem dropped the sword, and would have collapsed onto the ground if Aya still hadn't had a firm grip on him. What little strength he had left after Rodran's torture session now long gone. It took a couple heals spells from Schimmel and a potion Valen had to wake him back up.

"If you're back with us now, we should get moving." Valen said, tossing the empty bottle onto the floor.

"Right..." Nem rubbed his forehead, unsteadily trying to balance himself as Aya released him. He glanced around the room, his vision slightly blurred... probably from blood loss. The fact that his robe was halfway red meant he must have lost more than he thought before Ganus turned up. "Where's... Ganus?" He wondered, just realizing his absence.

"You were half an inch away from killing him, or less. Do you really think he'd want to stick around for you to wake up? I sure wouldn't." Aya said with a grin.

"Right." Nem muttered, still rather dazed. He turned to the crates, his mind drifting to Rodran. "We should get going, then. Raymond's team is probably in by now, we don't want to fall behind." He removed a magicka restoration potion from inside his robe, drinking it.

"You sure you're ready to be walking?" Schimmel asked.

Nem tossed the empty bottle by the one Valen dropped. "No, but this isn't the best place for a nap, either." He said, giving Schimmel and Aya a push toward the door. Valen had already gone through to check for any wandering troops. Once they were through and moving down the hall, Nem took a couple steps back and removed his tattered robe. He mumbled a fire spell, flames appearing on the hem. After throwing it onto the pile of crates, he shut the door and hurried to catch up with the others.

--

Valen led the way deeper into the caverns, Ganus having told him what paths to take. Nem and Schimmel were both skeptical about his directions, since they made so little sense, but Aya didn't seem hesitant in the least. It only took five minutes to find a wide staircase leading downward, but with as many extra passages as they passed, it could have easily been five hours had they not been given a direct route.

It ended at a large, empty room. Empty, that is, except for the Altmer standing at the passage across from them. He grinned, a sphere of electricity gathering in his hand. "You don't look very dead to me, boy." His cold voice echoed in the room.

"Poor Schimmel. Ruby, Ganus, this lunatic... you really do attract all the crazy people, don't you?" Nem asked with a weak laugh.

Schimmel shook his head. "Harnaten, listen..."

"Enough!" Harnaten raised his hand, firing the shockball at Schimmel.

The group scattered needlessly. A second shockball appeared from the side of the room and collided with the first, both of them exploding in the center of the room.

"I said it once before, but maybe it'll stick this time; stop trying to kill my friends." A annoyed voice said as two people emerged from the shadows along the side of the room. "You might not agree with my choices, but they're mine to make. That's the same reason I haven't gone after you about all the unpleasant things you've done, Father."

Harnaten stared blankly at the new arrival. "...Moss?"

"Harnaten... and Mossanon...? What the hell?" Nem muttered. It took him a few moments, but things clicked into place. The incident with the staff at Ald-Ruhn, Schimmel going back after finding out why Harnaten was out for his life and coming back with Moss... why hadn't he seen the connection sooner?

"I thought... he killed you..." Harnaten mumbled, clearly shocked.

"You didn't come back for me to check, did you?" Mossanon said crossly. "I made it back to Ald-Ruhn and was stuck in the Mages' Guild for two days while my legs got better. I expected you to turn up looking for me, but you never did."

"But..."

"And if you couldn't be bothered to check to see if I really was dead, I felt no reason to come back and tell you otherwise. However, since you know Schimmel didn't kill me now, would you just leave him alone?"

Harnaten simply stood there, his mouth hanging open and at a loss for words.

Mossanon took it as a yes. "Good. Miles," he turned to the Breton at his side. "we need you to take us to Jiub's quarters. There are a few things that need to be sorted out before Parven walks in and makes this any more chaotic."

"Right away!" Miles hurried over to the passage where Harnaten was still standing with Mossanon right behind him.

Mossanon slowed to a stop, as if he was going to say something to his Father, but turned to the group that had been watching events unfold. "Would you four stop standing around and move it?! It shouldn't be much further!" He called out, before heading into the passage.

Schimmel ran off without a thought, Valen close behind. Nem was trailing after them, still aching from earlier, and Aya stopped to grab Harnaten by the wrist, leading him along behind everyone else.

--

Unlike the upper floor, the route they took this time was pretty direct. They eventually came to a long hall that ended at a massive set of ornate doors. Miles rushed forward, pushing them open and running through. His voice echoed from the other side, calling out Jiub's name.

The group passed through the doorway, and found themselves in a large room similar to the one they found Harnaten in. There were four doors, two on each side of the room, and the wall directly across was drenched in an orange light coming from a pit that stretched the length of it. Six silhouettes stood along the edge, facing them.

"About time you caught up." A voice came from the other side of the room.

"Give them a break, Ganus. They didn't have an enchantment like yours to get them here faster." Mortifer's familiar voice said.

"This is no time for that. We have more important matters to attend to right now." A woman's voice snapped, it was clearly Rachel.

"Mossanon! Good to see you back. How was your time with Parven? Or at the Mages' Guild?" One of them asked brightly, walking forward. The face of a bald Dunmer with a long scar across his right eye came into focus.

Nem recognized him as the Dunmer he met outside Suran that asked about Trelana. "You...?!"

"You knew he was alive?!" Harnaten shouted, suddenly finding his voice and startling the rest of the group.

"It wasn't that difficult to find out, if you had taken the time to investigate. Or read the reports I had sent to you." The Dunmer said with a shrug. "That's the problem with necromancers, they're always more drawn to death than life. That's probably why you gave him up for dead so quickly, even though you hadn't seen what happened to him."

"Jiub, you-"

"I, on the other hand, would never do such a thing." Jiub said, a serious expression crossing his face. "I saw my sister stabbed and thrown into the sea right before my eyes... yet I never gave up hope that she had somehow survived. A much bleaker situation than a cry of pain from a tomb."

Harnaten turned his gaze to the ground, once again at a loss for words. Two of the other figures moved forward, stopping a couple feet ahead of Jiub. Schimmel took a step forward after seeing their faces, starting to say something, but appeared to be as speechless as Harnaten. Aya and Valen were also obviously trying to find something to say.

Nem didn't have that problem. "If it isn't the traitors." He said coldly, walking toward them and almost knocking Mossanon over as he went.

"Nem, hold on a minute-" Ruby began, moving in front of him.

"I'm not interested in your excuses." He said, raising his hand. There was a flash and Ruby dropped to the floor with a thud. He approached Trelana who, like Jiub, was too surprised by Ruby suddenly hitting the ground to even move before Nem made a grab for her.


	52. Revelations

**Chapter 52: Revelations**

Trelana flinched as Nem reached for her, and Jiub took a quick step forward to help, but stopped when Nem simply rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Trelana... my limbs are aching from that lunatic Rodran. My thoughts are a mess and my head is pounding trying to make sense of it all. I need you to answer two questions for me." He muttered, his voice exhausted. "One, what's the connection between Parven and the ASP? I just can't see any reason for all this. And two... would you please use a healing spell since you know what you're doing? It's obvious by the pain that Ganus doesn't have a clue."

Trelana looked up at him and smiled, but wasn't given a chance to speak.

"Her? Come now, surely you would want someone with immense talent to tend to your wounds instead." A slightly arrogant voice interrupted. It came from a familiar Dunmer in a red robe that had appeared from one of the side doors, a grin on his face.

"Brother!" Valen exclaimed. "You're- you're alive!"

"What did you expect?" Razelus asked with a shrug. "You really think a handful of outlaws could stop me?"

"Oh, drop it already. If I have to hear you talk for much longer, I'm going to lose my mind." A Bosmer complained, pushing his way past Razelus.

"Fargoth, you're here too?" Schimmel said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I hear Ruby beat him up pretty bad before she sent him off here though." A Nord said, appearing in the doorway behind the other two.

"Barbarius!" Aya exclaimed, dashing between Razelus and Fargoth and latching onto Barbarius in a tight hug. "I knew you weren't dead, even if you can be a big wimp!"

"Huh... eh..." Barbarius stuttered for a moment before realizing what she had said. "Wait, wimp?!"

"Don't you remember? You were all distraught over that tooth I knocked out when we first met." She said with a laugh, letting him go.

"I.. I was not!" He retorted.

"I don't know, you looked pretty depressed to me at the time." Ruby commented as she woke up, being helped to her feet by Ganus.

Nem looked at them, not smiling even though he was glad to see them still alive. He turned to Ruby, who was brushing the dirt off her pants and giving him a rather irritated look. Probably because of the cheap shot. He ignored it. "So... does that mean back at Hlormaren, you really did kill...?" He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Damn it!" Barbarius threw something back into the room he had come out of, and there was a smash of glass. "Stop sleeping, Bry! Everyone still thinks you're dead!"

"Mmm... wha? They're here already?" A tired voice came from the back room. Bryenn wandered out a few moments later, scratching his head and yawning. He glanced over the group gathered in the center of the room. "Hi everybody."

"You worry us like that and just say 'hi' after we find out you're not dead? Idiot." Nem grumbled, turning away from them and smiling. That was one weight off his mind... but something bigger was still hanging in the air. He looked over at Trelana. "Now, about the ASP..."

"I think my brother is more suited to tell you about all that. I was just a child at the time, so it's all rather blurry to me." She said, turning to Jiub.

Nem stared at her blankly for a moment, before turning to Jiub and back. "Brother...? Oh for-" He sighed, sitting down on the ground and rubbing his forehead. So much for his headache going away anytime soon. "Two brothers, a father and son, now a brother and sister. What is with all the damned family coming up?" He complained.

"Nem?" Trelana looked at him, clearly confused.

"Forget it, it's not important right now. Jiub... would you just explain to me what the hell is going on, and why you don't seem to be trying to kill us for once?" Nem asked.

"That's a very good question." Razelus added. "You haven't told us a thing since we arrived either, going on about waiting until we wouldn't be convinced you're a liar."

"It's a long story..." He said, crossing his arms. "...one that starts about 50 years back."

--

"There used to be a small island to the east, between Vvardenfell and the mainland. It didn't have an official name that I'm aware of, we simply called it Daedroth Isle." Jiub explained.

"Daedroth...?" Nem wondered.

"Yes, everyone that lived there worshiped the Daedric Princes. I was one of the lower-ranked members of the Daedric Knights at the time, and Trelana was training to become an enchanter. I dreamed of becoming one of the members of the ASP."

"The ASP was around then too? But Parven said it was-" Schimmel began.

"Parven is an egocentric fool. ASP stands for Azura's Seven Protectors, as she was the first Daedric Lord we began to worship, expanding to others as we grew in both number and knowledge of them. Outcasts arrived from other lands, each fascinated by the Daedra. We welcomed them... Dunmer, Altmer, Breton... it didn't matter to us. Once the population began to grow too large, we even tunneled into the single mountain on the island, even making a small port inside it."

"A port inside a mountain... that sounds familiar." Barbarius mumbled.

"It should, one of the last reports I received from Captain Rathys was that four of you had stumbled across our old island."

"But I didn't see any traces that it was ever inhabited..." Bryenn muttered to himself, still half-asleep.

"That's because it was obliterated. You see, one day we found a man washed up on the shore, the victim of a shipwreck. We tended to his wounds, allowing him to stay with us for a while before he departed on a small boat. A week later, he returned... with a fleet of ships. It turned out he was with the Imperial Legion, and was investigating us. Apparently he told them we were planning to lead an assault on Vvardenfell, or some such nonsense."

"Someone like Parven was part of the Legion?" Bryenn wondered in disbelief, suddenly very awake.

"Yes. He lied in his report, and came back simply to raid us. Whether it was a warped sense of justice or sheer greed is open to debate, but considering he stole the seven relics held by the seven members of the ASP, I'm betting on greed."

"Relics?" Razelus inquired. "You mean artifacts given to you by the Daedric Lords?"

"No... these were made by our best enchanter. There was only one item given to us by a Daedric Prince, and Parven took it upon his return. Shortly before slaughtering almost every last one of us. I stowed away on his boat with my sister, but he found us... he stabbed my sister and threw her overboard. I rushed him, but was blinded by rage... he gave me this..." Jiub touched the scar across his right eye. "...and then blasted me overboard with a fireball spell. When I woke up, I was back on Daedroth Isle. I found a few survivors that had hidden or just been wounded and we went after Parven when we were able."

"A few survivors?" Nem asked.

"Ruby's Great-Grandmother, Ganus' Parents, Rachel and Mortifer's Grandparents, Rodran... speaking of which..." Jiub looked around. "Where is that fetcher? He should have turned up by now."

Nem grinned, certain Rodran had either burned to death or suffocated from the smoke by now. Still, Jiub might not be too happy about it, so he'd keep that piece of information for later. "What about Harnaten?" He asked, trying to turn the focus from Rodran.

"Ah, yes. He went missing for a while after the conflict, but we reunited with him on Vvardenfell. He's very resilient for an Altmer."

"That makes no sense at all." Razelus stated.

Ruby glared at him. "You think Jiub would make something like that up?"

"Considering the blindingly obvious fault with that story, yes."

Jiub crossed his arms. "I take it you're talking about the fact that Parven was a leader in the Imperial Legion fifty years ago, and yet is still alive today without looking a day over forty years old?"

"Exactly. He'd have to be at least eighty by now, and Imperials just don't live that long." Razelus said, shaking his head. "If he was a Dunmer or Altmer... or even a Bosmer, I'd believe it. An Imperial is an impossibility."

"Perhaps if he was an average Imperial. The item he took that was given to us by a Daedric Lord, he uses it. It is a cursed amulet known as the Eternal Madness. Once it is put on, it binds to the wearers skin and ceases their aging. However, it saps the wearer's magicka, leaving them unable to cast spells, and can never be removed until their death. It also slowly drives the wearer insane over time, leaving them very unpredictable. Though when you realize it was Lord Sheogorath that gave us the amulet, it shouldn't come as a surprise. He is known as the King of Madness for a reason."

Nem sighed. "Of all the Daedric Princes to accept something from... you had to go with him? Only a fool would make a deal with Sheogorath."

"It was never our intention for something like that to fall into the hands of a man like Parven." Jiub said seriously. "We should have kept it under heavier guard, I admit... but it was a long time ago."

"Exactly." Rachel spoke up. "We have to stop Parven, here and now. He's after the relics we stole back from him a few years ago... and to wipe out what few of us he missed the first time. Along with all his tries after that."

"What do you say, are you with us?" Mortifer asked.

There was silence as the Forlorn members thought it over. Razelus, naturally, was the first to speak. "I would much rather hear Parven's side of the story before making any decisions."

"I don't believe there's any need for that." A cheerful voice came from the doorway. Parven was hovering in the air, grinning at all of them. "Jiub told it quite well the first time though. He is quite the bard, I must say." He clapped his hands together a few times, before suddenly spinning in mid-air and sending a blaze of fire at the ceiling of the hallway out. There was an explosion, screams from the Forlorn members as they fled the falling rocks and silence as the passage back was sealed off.

"Although." Parven muttered, turning back around. "There is one little part he failed to add. Forlorn. He didn't tell you why I chose that name for my little guild. I'm disappointed, Jiub."

"How would I know how your twisted mind works?!" Jiub retorted.

"It's quite obvious, actually." Parven shrugged. "Anyone that joins my guild, is simply hopeless. Every person convinced or tricked into joining. Every assignment a potential death sentence. None of them have any hope to survive. Either your minions kill them, or I do when I'm finished having them 'help' me."

"You sick fetcher." Jiub growled, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at Parven. "I'll kill you this time, I swear it!"

"My, my... so much anger. You should really learn to relax and enjoy yourself, Jiub." Parven said with a smile, aiming a glowing ring downward. "I certainly will." A streak of crimson shot from the ring, striking the ground and erupting into a torrent of flames, the blast sending the group below flying in all directions.


	53. Fallen

**Chapter 53: Fallen**

The smoke cleared as everyone got back onto their feet, having been scattered when Parven attacked. Jiub raised his sword, brandishing it at Parven. "You can throw whatever you like at us... but you're still outnumbered, Parven! You can't kill us all on your own!"

Parven just smiled. "As much as I may hate to admit it, you have a point." He said, removing one of the long wraps of cloth off his back and pulling it open. "That's why I had a couple of my minions get this for me."

Harnaten's eyes widened. "That staff... that's-"

"Yours? I suppose it is, in a sense. I have more use for it now, though." Parven examined the staff for a moment, then swung it downward. There were a series of flashes below, countless bonewalkers and skeletons appearing out of the light. "Kill them all!"

Trelana screamed as the undead appeared, ducking behind Nem. He sighed, wondering why it had to be something she was afraid of. And why he didn't realize until now that he never took the time to find the weapons Rodran had taken from him. He swore, taking Trelana's staff from her as a skeleton wielding a sabre swung at him, barely giving him time to block it with the staff.

Parven simply watched as the group below fought with the undead, scanning for a good target. He caught sight of three people clumped closely together and grinned, taking aim.

Mossanon thrust his bound longsword through one of the bonewalkers as Fargoth shot arrow after arrow into its torso, Miles crouched behind both of them, waiting to heal anyone that needed it since he wasn't good in a fight. None of them noticed the orb of flame descending toward them until it was too late to move. There was a deafening blast and the trio was slammed into the wall. They all slumped onto the floor, laying motionless. Parven turned to the others, wondering who to deal with next.

"Damn you!" Harnaten shouted at Parven, hurling a fireball spell at him.

Parven turned and waved, clearly thinking nothing of the spell soaring at his head. It was clear why once it struck the reflect spell surrounding him. The fireball flew back at Harnaten, striking him in the chest and sending him flying before he fully understood what had happened. Keeping an eye on the chaos below, Parven looked for his next target.

"Stay dead this time!" Trelana shouted from behind Nem as he crushed the skull of one of the skeletons coming after them.

"I'm sure they'll listen to that, Trelana." Nem said sarcastically, taking a swing at a bonewalker when it got too close. A flicker of red from above caught his eye, and he looked up just as Parven sent a fireball speeding toward them. Nem swore loudly, blasting the bonewalker with a shockball spell and quickly positioning himself between the spell and Trelana, taking the full blast.in the chest. He struck Trelana as he was thrown backwards, both of them slamming into the wall with a loud crack.

Parven removed his ring, dropping it into a pocket on his robe and pulling out a different one. He scanned the remaining fighters as he slid the ring onto his finger, noticing the flurry of sparks surrounding one of them.

Valen took aim at a bonewalker, shooting an arrow into its right eye and out the back of its head. It dropped to the ground and he turned to Razelus, who was pummeling undead left and right with fire magicka. Valen shook his head, looking around at the remaining undead and wondering why his brother didn't just buy a short sword for times like this... or at least learn a bound spell. A sudden glow above made him look up. It was coming from Parven's right hand, and he was looking directly at Razelus, who was too focused on the bonewalker he was burning to notice.

Parven suddenly dove at Razelus, and Valen ran to intercept him, raising his bow as he went. He took a shot at Parven, but didn't have time to aim properly and missed. Though it was close enough to grab Parven's attention, since he shifted his focus to Valen. Parven punched Valen in the chest, arcs of lightning tearing through his body as he screamed in agony.

Razelus turned at his brother's voice, just in time to see the lightning fade and Valen slump onto the ground. Razelus shouted, a mixture of fear and fury in his voice. He rushed Parven, who soared high enough to go over him when he got too close, but low enough to slam his boot into the back or Razelus' head and knock him out.

Ruby glanced at Parven long enough to get an idea, but not enough for the skeleton that was after her to strike. She dashed out of the way of its axe, getting behind it and jamming her dagger into the top of its spine, causing its head to fall to the ground, followed shortly by the rest of it. She looked around for someone to help with her idea, but didn't get far before two more bonewalkers were blocking her path.

A barrage of throwing knives struck the bonewalkers, killing both of them. Barbarius ran up from behind where they had been standing, pulling the knives out of them and grinning at Ruby. "That's the downside of being undead, nobody watching your back."

Barbarius turned to continue attacking the undead, but Ruby stopped him. "Hold on, we have to stop Parven.

"That's what we're trying to do, remember? These undead are our main problem right now."

Barbarius replied, hurling a throwing knife at a bonewalker that was attacking Schimmel.

"You're wrong!" Ruby snapped. "I've been watching... the undead aren't doing anything serious, they're just a distraction! Parven's the only one doing any damage to our side. We have to take him down!"

"And how do you suggest we do that? He's a little out of reach." Barbarius gestured to Parven hovering in the air.

"Don't you remember what Jiub said? Parven can't use magicka." She reminded him. "The only reason he can use spells like he has been is because of all the enchanted equipment he carries."

"So if he didn't have that..."

"Plotting my downfall, are you?" Parven inquired, now floating directly over them. They were only able to take two steps back as Parven landed between them, blasting Barbarius away with a flash of lightning from his right hand and grabbing Ruby by the throat with his left.

"Ruby!" Mortifer yelled, charging at Parven.

Parven floated to the side as Mortifer brought down his sword, avoiding it. "This is a private conversation, if you don't mind." He said simply, hitting Mortifer with a charge of electricity as he had done with Barbarius and taking to the air.

He hovered just below the ceiling as he held Ruby by her neck, grinning. "Well, well... if it isn't the real traitor. Although after finding out Trelana was Jiub's sister, I think I was close enough when I locked her up."

"Thinking Trelana was the spy... just proved how incompetent you really are." Ruby choked.

"You do have a point, there." Parven said with a smile. "I should have just killed her then and saved some time. I won't make that mistake with you." He released Ruby and punched her toward the ground with a flash of lightning from his ring.

"No!" Schimmel cried, dropping his sword and running to catch Ruby. He was able to get under her, but acted as more of a cushion than a catcher, since he was thrown off his feet and struck his head on the ground hard when she landed on him.

"You're dead!" Ganus yelled, readying his sword and leaping into the air, somehow with enough force that he was streaking directly at Parven.

Despite his surprised expression, Parven moved out of the way and Ganus' sword only struck the ceiling. While he was falling back to the ground, Parven grabbed the other wrapped cloth on his back and darted after Ganus. There was a flash of metal and a burst of blue fire, and two objects landed on the ground with a sickening splatter.

"Ganus..." Jiub muttered, staring at his two halves now laying on the ground.

Barbarius sat up, rubbing his side. Parven hadn't managed a direct hit, but it was close enough to stun him. He got back onto his feet as quickly as he could given the numbness in his side where the lightning had struck, gathering the throwing knives he had dropped when Parven blasted him.

"My sword!" Bryenn exclaimed, distracted from the skeleton he had been fighting long enough for it to stab him in the arm. He yelled, cleaving the skeleton's sword arm off, along with its head.

"Actually, when I received it, this sword belonged to a dead man. I just have to make those conditions true again." Parven said, diving at Bryenn this time.

Bryenn was able to deflect the sword with the sabre he was using, but the flames that burst forth when the blades connected blinded him long enough for Parven to hit him with his lightning ring and knock him against the wall.

Nem groaned, beginning to wake up. His body was throbbing thanks to the battering both Rodran and Parven had given him. He reached up, sliding his left hand over his chest. His shirt felt singed, but it wasn't burnt through. Looks like my curse saved me again. Maybe the Atronach isn't so bad. He thought, grinning weakly. He barely heard Parven's voice over the ringing in his ears.

"I see taking one by surprise is the best way to use this." He said, moving back into the air for a better view. He spotted a bonewalker facing off with someone on the other side of it and dove, the point of Bryenn's claymore aiming at the bonewalkers back.

"Look out!" Jiub shouted, but to no avail. The sword tore through the bonewalker, impaling both it and the person fighting it on the blade.

"No... Aya!" Barbarius screamed, hurling countless throwing knives at Parven. None struck, but he had to release the sword to avoid them.

Rachel took the opportunity to get behind Parven and swing at his back. There was a loud snap as her sword connected, the blade breaking in half and landing on the ground nearby. She swore as Parven turned, sending a pulse of electricity through her.

Barbarius remembered what Ruby had said and ran forward, leaping at Parven as he started back into the air. He grabbed Parven by the boots, swung his body up and planted his foot on Parven's gut, pushing off with all his might as he kept a firm grip on the boots.

Barbarius landed on the ground, boots in hand, and Parven landed with a thud a short distance away. Barbarius quickly got to his feet, running toward the edge and throwing the boots into the chasm of magma. Parven got behind him as he watched the boots disappear over the cliff, feeling the surge of electricity course through his body as Parven punched him in the back.

Parven glared down at Barbarius, then turned his attention to Jiub, the only one left standing. Jiub cleaved the final bonewalker in half as Parven ran at him. Jiub thrust his sword at Parven, who dodged, grasping the blade and electrifying it so that Jiub dropped it.

Parven swiftly punched Jiub in the face, flickers of lightning coming off his ring. He grabbed Jiub by the throat and held him up as he had done with Ruby, slowly walking toward the edge of the chasm.

"At last, our little fight is going to end. A shame it had to be with such little bloodshed. I was hoping for a challenge." Parven said with a smirk.

"Damn you, Parven." Jiub muttered, barely able to speak with Parven's hand clamped firmly around his throat.

"Brother... no..." Trelana said weakly, unable to move because of the pain in her body.

Nem was the only one that heard her. He muttered a healing spell, hoping it would give him enough strength to move. He couldn't do much at this point, but if he didn't try something, Parven would kill Jiub and probably finish off anyone he hadn't already killed.

"Now that I've finally got you, the question is how to end it? Facing off with you was quite enjoyable, I'd like it to end on such a note as well." Parven tilted his head, staring into Jiub's eyes and grinning. "Perhaps slowly breaking every bone in your body would prove entertaining."

Nem slowly got up, making sure Parven's attention was on Jiub as he started toward them.

"You're out of your mind, Parven." Jiub choked.

"You say that every time we meet... can you not think of something different? There are many better insults to be slung about in such a way."

"It's not an insult, it's a fact. And if you want to hear something new..." Jiub saw Nem running toward them out of the corner of his eye, but kept his focus on Parven. "...how about goodbye?"

Nem slammed into Parven, shoulder first, taking him by surprise. Parven's grip and balanced both faltered. Jiub landed on the ground as Parven's arm was jerked away from the chasm by the impact, but the rest of him was pushed over the edge. He grabbed Nem in a futile attempt to keep himself from falling, not realizing Nem had already begun to fall with him, too weak to try and stay atop the ledge.

Nem grinned at Parven as they plummeted toward the magma. "You got the name right... but now it looks like Forlorn is finished."

"W-What?!" Parven panicked, his normally calm composure finally gone as he looked from Nem to the magma below.

Nem's two words were the final ones Parven heard before landing head first into the molten rock. "Goodbye, Parven."


	54. Aftermath

**Chapter 54: Aftermath**

Jiub rubbed his throat, crawling over to the edge and peering down into the chasm just as a burst of fire sunk into the magma, probably made by clothes being set ablaze as they came into contact with it. He pushed himself away from the edge, straining to breathe. He turned to the bodies strewn about the cavern, slowly standing up and moving toward Trelana.

"That was a cheap shot, fetcher." Barbarius groaned, pushing himself up and looking around. Jiub was the only one he saw standing. "What happened...? We won?"

"If you can call it that..." Jiub muttered, crouching down by his sister. "Trelana... are you okay?" She didn't reply. She was still staring at the top of the cliff with a horrified expression on her face. Jiub touched her side and she flinched. She must have broken a rib or two, at the least. He got up, looking around and hoping a decent healer was still alive and in some condition to help.

Once Barbarius had regained his senses, he hurried over to Aya, who still had Bryenn's sword stuck through her chest. He grabbed it by the blade, yanking it out and tossing it aside. "Aya..." He mumbled, grabbing her shoulder to try and wake her but quickly pulling his hand away. Her body was already becoming cold.

"Wake up, Miles!" Jiub yelled, shaking the Breton.

Miles grumbled something, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head where it had connected with the wall. "Master Jiub...? What-" He caught sight of the bloodstained battlefield before him and froze.

"Now is not the time! We need your help!" Jiub pulled Miles to his feet, who was looking thoroughly terrified, and dragging him over to Trelana.

Barbarius stood up, glancing over at Schimmel and Ruby, who were laying nearby and dashing over to them.

Schimmel groaned as he got close. "Ohh... my head."

"At least you're still alive..." Barbarius said, bending down to lift Ruby off him. She was still breathing, but unconscious. "...both of you are."

A clatter of rocks tumbling down the caved-in passage caught their attention, and a woman's voice followed. "We're almost through, keep digging!" Carol shouted, her face appearing at the top of the rubble.

"Looks like we'll be getting a way out soon." Jiub commented, walking over to Rachel as Miles healed Trelana. He crouched down, reaching to check for a pulse when she suddenly slapped his hand away.

She looked up at him with a weak smile. "Sorry, reflexes."

"That's always your excuse." He chuckled, helping her up.

"Taken down by my own spell... how humiliating." Harnaten complained as he awoke, quickly standing up and limping over to Mossanon and casting a healing spell on him. "Wake up, Moss... I can't let you die on me again."

Mossanon slowly opened his eyes looking up at Harnaten and then down at his burnt robe. "Damn Parven... I liked this robe." He muttered as he sat up.

Harnaten shook his head. "You're worried about your robe at a time like this?"

"Well, you're the one that got it for me. Though I suppose you couldn't tell that anymore." He replied, turning to Fargoth who was laying next to him and giving the Bosmer a prod with his finger. "Nap time's over, so get up." He said as Fargoth began to stir.

Bryenn stood up, grumbling something about a cheap shot as he looked over the chaos. He walked over to Mortifer, giving his a soft kick in the leg. "I know you're still alive, so stop laying around."

"And how would you know that?" Mortifer asked, keeping his eyes closed and not wanting to move since his body ached from the electricity that burnt his body, having flowed throughout his suit of armor.

"Because of all the times we sparred." Bryenn reminded him. "I know you're not taken down easily."

"Also because I beat you most of the time." Mortifer smirked.

"Just get up."

Jiub stood in front of the rubble blocking the path out, watching the rocks roll down as they were pushed out of the way. He turned back, checking to see who was still alive. He noticed Ganus' cleaved corpse nearby, regretting he hadn't done more to train him before making him a ranked member of the ASP. He forced his attention away, continuing to scan the area.

He noticed Razelus, who was on his knees and holding Valen's limp body. Jiub's heart sank, having a good idea of how Razelus must have felt. He thought he had lost his sister all those years ago... but the lack of a body gave him some hope, Razelus didn't have that comfort. Jiub walked over, coming to a stop beside Razelus but not knowing what to say when he got there.

The crumbling of rocks and a shout distracted him, Raymond falling down the side of the rubble and landing with a thud. He quickly got up and brushed himself off, dashing over to help Miles with healing everyone that needed it.

Jiub glanced back at Razelus as he laid Valen's body down and got to his feet, walking over to the rubble with a rather vacant expression and slowly beginning to dig away the rocks from this side as well. With a final look at Valen, Jiub went over to help shift the fallen rocks.

--

After explaining to Raymond, Caroline, those that had been knocked out and the other remaining Forlorn members just what had happened in the battle with Parven, Jiub led them out of the mountain and they began the long trek back to Suran, for a lack of anywhere else to go. The trip was a quiet one, the few words exchanged being notices of charging cliff racers and the like. When they finally arrived, they all stood outside the tavern and base, many feeling rather uncomfortable after what Parven had put them through.

Mortifer headed toward the tavern, needing a stiff drink after everything they went though, a few others having the same idea and joining him. The door creaked open and a pair of voices greeted them.

"Welcome back, slayers of Parven!" An enthusiastic voice exclaimed.

"Yes, welcome back." A second said in a milder tone.

"Oh come on, Glen... put some feeling into it!"

"My apologizes, sera."

"Forget it. The moment's past, anyway. I knew we should have practiced more." The first voice sighed.

Trelana rushed over, pushing Mortifer out of the doorway and looking inside. "Nem!"

Nem was sitting on a barstool, facing the door with a glass raised in his left hand, since his right arm was in a sling. The Argonian bartender was standing behind the counter, bowing slightly.

"Nem... you're..." Trelana stuttered, stepping into the tavern as the rest of the group moved in behind her.

"Yeah, alive. Sorry I worried you... my recall spell was still set outside Vivec. It took so long just getting healed up and back to Suran, I thought it would be better to just wait for you to return. I even got Glen to help me set up what I'm sure everyone would need after the hell we went though." He said, tilting his glass toward the tables. Each one had an assortment of alcohol set in the center.

"You got that right." Mortifer said, grabbing a bottle of Matze off the nearest table. The others began to gather around the tables, sparks of conversation beginning to form at last.

Nem turned back to the counter, waving for Trelana to join him. "Quit standing around, I put a bottle of Flin aside for you. That's still what you prefer, isn't it?"

"Ah... yes." Trelana mumbled, heading to one of the open barstools next to him.

--

Conversations built up as the amount of alcohol in the tavern dropped dramatically. Nem set his fifth glass down after finishing the Greef it contained. "Aya... Valen... Ganus... Cassandra... Emily... all the ones I didn't know. We lost a lot of people today." He sighed.

"Rodran too, by the look of it. I couldn't find him anywhere." Jiub added.

"Yeah... but Parven didn't kill him, I did." Nem mumbled.

"You what?!" Jiub exclaimed.

"He had it coming." Nem said casually, leaning against the counter.

Jiub glared at him for a moment, then downed his glass of Cyrodillic Brandy. "I suppose you must think that... I certainly did at times. He was becoming as ruthless as Parven in some ways, and only ever talked about killing those that were in Forlorn instead of getting them to see what kind of man Parven really was. The only reason I didn't dismiss him like I did with others that thought that way was probably because he was in the battle against Parven from the very beginning."

"Understandable." Nem said as he refilled his glass. "What's your plan now, then?"

"I'm not sure. I honestly never thought about what I would do once Parven was dead because... I really didn't expect to survive long enough to see this day."

"Well..." Nem tapped his fingers on the counter, looking around. "This place is going to need a new owner. Since Forlorn's gone, you should take over, make a nice little guild here. Preferably not one named after the true ASP, since a few factions might take it the wrong way."

Jiub mulled it over, pouring more into his glass and taking a drink. "A Guildmaster, huh? It certainly would be nice not having to employ outlaws like I did until now... they're too hard to keep under control. I think I'll try my hand at it."

"You can count us in, then." Mortifer said, turning in his chair to look at Jiub. "You're stuck with me and Rachel, like it or not."

"Exactly." Rachel agreed, raising her glass.

"Good to hear." Jiub grinned. "How about you, Harnaten?"

"Sorry, but I have other things in mind. I saw this through as I intended, and now that Parven's dead, I don't see any reason to stay." Harnaten said simply.

"I will." Mossanon offered. "It sounds interesting."

"I...I'll stay too." Miles muttered. "That way maybe I can get a few more lessons out of Moss."

Jiub smiled. "Well, I have a good start on members, at least. Are you planning to stay as well, Nem?"

"No... I've gotten used to working for a lunatic that hands out suicide missions, so I thought I'd head back to Ald-Ruhn. See what absurd jobs Edwinna can come up with in an attempt to get me killed." Nem said with a laugh.

"I'll go with you. Someone has to make sure you don't lose it and try to strangle Edwinna." Trelana smirked.

"You're leaving too?" Jiub said in disbelief, clearly having expected her to stay.

"Yes. Now that we each know the other isn't dead... we can visit anytime. I need to keep with my enchantment research, though. That's easier at a Mages' Guild." She explained.

"I... suppose you're right." He sighed. "A few more members to help get everything in order would be helpful, though."

"Schimmel!" Nem called out to the trio sitting at the other end of the bar. "Jiub's starting a new guild here and is looking for help. What're your plans?"

"We're starting a treasure hunting team!" Barbarius answered for him. "Me, Schimmel and Ruby!"

"I never agreed to that!" Schimmel spoke up.

"Neither did I!" Ruby snapped.

"Aw, come on! It'll be fun!" Barbarius said, their voices soon covered by the others in the tavern as Barbarius tried to convince them it was a good idea.

"Well, I'd say they're out." Nem shrugged, taking another drink and looking around the tavern. "We're missing a few people here." He muttered, looking for more familiar faces.

"Razelus left shortly after we arrived. I think I heard him say something about going home to Gnaar Mok." Trelana pointed out.

"Right..." Nem mumbled, thinking of Valen. "...Bryenn?"

Jiub shook his head. "I was talking to him for a little while about Parven, and he suddenly got up and left. He was going on about the corruption in the Imperial Legion and needing to get rid of it."

"He must have to Gnisis then, the Captain there offered to let him join before. Stop the corruption from the inside, or some such nonsense. It seems like something he'd try." Nem said, shaking his head. "I know Fargoth went home to Seyda Neen... so how about Raymond and Caroline? I don't see them anywhere."

"They left to make a home somewhere a little less dangerous... they didn't way where, but from the sound of it they were leaving Vvardenfell." Trelana said, sipping her Flin.

"Is that right?" Nem glanced at the Argonian behind the bar. "How about you, Glen? Now that Parven's dead and I found the key to your bracer after tearing apart the fetcher's office, I'm surprised you stuck around this long."

"You were a slave?" Trelana wondered.

Glen nodded.

"I always thought you were a member..."

"Many did." Glen said softly, then looked at Jiub. "If you are now in charge, may I join? I have become fond of this job, though the same can not be said of my old master."

"You can have it. At least I'll know someone reliable has the tavern covered." Jiub said with a shrug.

"Such optimism about taking over." Nem chuckled, setting down his glass and standing up. "Well, I'm going to bed and heading for Ald-Ruhn tomorrow. Good luck with your new guild, Jiub."

Jiub nodded. "Farewell."


End file.
